'A new lease of life' - Adam Peaty hoping to put disrupted year behind him at Commonwealth Games

ByHarry Latham Coyle

Updated 20/07/2022 at 14:50 GMT

Peaty was unable to defend his world titles in Budapest due to a foot injury, continuing a tough start to the year that also included a bout of flu. The breaststroker is set to return to the pool in Birmingham, where he is due to enter four events, including defending his 100 metres title. Peaty also hopes to continue to push for untouchable times.

Adam Peaty has revealed that being unable to defend his world titles has given him a "hunger" and "new lease of life" as the swimmer prepares to return the pool at the Commonwealth Games.

A broken foot forced Peaty to miss the 2022 World Championships in Budapest, ending his run of three consecutive double breaststroke golds over 50 and 100 metres.

The 27-year-old also had his early-season training disrupted by flu in a tough first half of 2022, but has returned to full fitness ahead of the Commonwealths in Birmingham.

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Peaty secured one gold and two silvers on the Gold Coast four years ago, and is due to enter four events at the Sandwell Aquatics Centre.

The swimmer believes he is well placed to put a tough year behind him.

“It has been an unfortunate season," Peaty explained ahead of the Games, which begin on 28 July.

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“I got ill at the start of the year with flu, then I went straight into training camp and broke my foot. Since then, I’ve adapted, I’ve learned and I’ve overcome, and I couldn’t have put more into my preparations.

“I haven’t had the smoothest ride. I saw my World Championship titles being taken away without any control over that, and that’s given me a new lease of life, a hunger that I was missing.”

Peaty spent six weeks out of the pool recuperating from his injury, his longest lay-off of a glittering career, and also took a break from swimming after Tokyo 2020 to focus on his mental health.

could only watch on as he lost his individual world titles to Nic Fink (50m) and Nicolo Martinenghi (100m) respectively in Hungary.

Peaty suffered the first major defeat of this career at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, stunned by Cameron van der Burgh over a single length of the pool to end his four-year unbeaten run in individual events.

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Despite an extended period out of the water, Peaty is confident he can re-establish his dominance.

“It’s a very long time to have out of the water, but I’ve understood that you don’t need to be in the water,” he explained.

“Swimming has always been seen as very traditional – you need to put the metres in – but you look at other sports and how they adapt, and how some athletes who have had injuries and have gone away from it have come back stronger and faster.

“For some reason, I’ve got a real confidence about where I’m going. It may not pay off in the short term at the Commonwealths or the Europeans, but it’s about how I maximise this time towards Paris, and the confidence I have learned through this cycle of work has been very precious.”

Only one other man has ever swum beneath 58 seconds in the 100m breaststroke, and Peaty's world record time is more than a second quicker than that of Arno Kamminga of the Netherlands.

Peaty is not satisfied, however, and insists he can still lower his record further.

“It’s a time that no-one else can reach – 56.8 probably won’t be touched for a while, but I’m talking about ever,” continued Peaty.

“I wouldn’t be swimming now if I knew I couldn’t break a world record again. It’s just not enough for me to stay in the sport and win and win and win.

“For me it’s all about human excellence, pushing the body and mind as far as it can go. That is extremely tough, but that is exactly where I thrive, in these tough and uncomfortable moments.”

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