Commonwealth Games: Olympic champion Adam Peaty qualifies fastest for 100m breaststroke semi-final
/dnl.eurosport.com/sd/img/placeholder/eurosport_logo_1x1.png){kind=logo}
Updated 30/07/2022 at 14:56 GMT
Adam Peaty qualifies fastest for Commonwealth Games 100m breaststroke semi-final in his first race after returning from foot injury. The reigning Olympic and defending Commonwealth champion had not raced since May but was the only swimmer to qualify under one minute, clocking in at 59.92s. Peaty was short of his World Record time of 57.13 and his Commonwealth record 58.94 but will be favourite.
‘Pain’ of silver will help us come back stronger for Paris 2024, says Peaty
Two-time defending Commonwealth Games champion Adam Peaty finished fastest in qualifying for tonight's 100m breaststroke semi-final in his return from injury.
Racing for the first time since May, Peaty was the only swimmer to finish under one minute, posting 59.92s in his qualifier.
Peaty had been sidelined for 10 weeks after first suffering an ankle injury in preparation for an appearance on Dancing with the Stars, before fracturing his foot in a gym accident, but looked comfortable back in the pool for the first time.
Having already been forced to pull out of the World Championships in Hungary last month, there were fears that Peaty might also miss the Commonwealth Games, but he put those fears to bed with a confident performance.
After the race, Peaty admitted that he is still working up to full fitness, saying "I had no idea where I am at, I still don't really, I am still blowing out the cobwebs. It feels all right in the water, it is just literally now going through the rounds. I’ve been at two races this year so it’s a little bit different. Yeah, felt all right... we’ll see how we improve for the semis.
"It’s a very home Games for me, I grew up about 50 minutes away ... it’s great to see the crowd, and hopefully tonight will be even better."
Peaty suggested as well that he was racing within himself in the heats, saying "I saw the heats come through and thought, ‘you know what, it’s going to be a waste of energy going fast this morning’. We’ll see how we go tonight."
He also admitted that he is understandably behind with his preparation, after a disrupted start to the year. "That’s only my third race this year. I’d normally do about 20 by now. It is what it is. It’s all about where we are in heats, how it felt and how I can improve."
Sam Williamson of Australia finished 0.24 seconds behind Peaty in qualifying, while South Africa's Brenden Crawford was third fastest at 1min 01.11s.
Britain's James Wilby, who finished fourth at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships in the absence of Peaty, also qualified for the semi-finals.
Before his return to the pool, Peaty launched "Project Immortal", an attempt to set an unbreakable World Record.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Peaty explained "Project Immortal is a time that no one else can reach. 56.8 is very high up there and probably won't be touched for a while but I am talking about ever. For me, I wouldn't be swimming if I knew I couldn't break the world record again. It's just not enough for me to stay in the sport and win and win and win championships."
Already the holder of the World, Commonwealth and European records in the 100m breaststroke, Peaty is looking to do something even more special.
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement