Swimmer Peaty cranks up preparation for World Championships

The 22-year-old spearheads a 29-strong Great Britain squad that will embark on final preparations for the World Championships in Budapest in July.

The first stage of this is a nine-day outdoor camp in Thailand, starting on May 8, followed by the Japan Open in Tokyo from May 19 to 21.

Two years ago Peaty walked away with three medals at the World Championships in Kazan in the 50m and 100m breaststroke and 4x100m mixed medley.

Those medals were three of nine won in total by Britain's swimmers in total with James Guy also topping the medal rostrum in the 200m freestyle and the men's team doing likewise in the men's 4x200m freestyle relay.

And Peaty has identified the next few weeks as ideal preparation time as he looks to sharpen his technique ahead of a busy summer of competition.

"Thailand is the first stopping point for the World Championship team so I'm very excited to be there," Peaty said. "My plan is to refine a few areas, work hard and enjoy it.

"I'll be pushing it hard in the pool and gym every single day. I'm always going to be heading up the numbers in the gym while working towards the little improvements across my performance.

"The Japan Open is all about racing hard at this time of the season. I'll be looking to refine my race skills and make progress across the areas where I'm maybe a bit weaker."

British Swimming head coach Bill Furniss added combining the camp with competition will be key for the team's dynamic.

"The first time everyone will come together as a team will be in Thailand," said Furniss.

"I think this is an important opportunity as it brings everyone together; athletes, coaches and support staff who will be working together at this summer's World Championships. It provides a vital opportunity to build relationships as soon as we can.

"Following the camp we will fly straight to Tokyo as we put in place our strategy to the 2020 Olympic Games."

Sportsbeat 2017