Adam Peaty Aims for Historic Third Olympic Gold

Adam Peaty qualified fastest for Sunday’s final as he aims for a historic third consecutive 100m breaststroke Olympic gold in Paris. The 29-year-old Briton could become the second man after Michael Phelps to win the same individual event at three consecutive Olympics. Moreover, he won his semi-final in 58.86 seconds, edging out China’s Qin Haiyang by 0.07 seconds.

Despite his strong performance, Peaty acknowledges he still needs to work on technical aspects. He is particularly focused on improving in the latter part of the race. He emphasized that Olympic success revolves around winning races, not just achieving fast times. Meanwhile, Team GB missed out on medals in the 4x100m freestyle relays, with the men finishing fifth and the women seventh.

Additionally, Australia’s Ariarne Titmus won a highly competitive 400m freestyle final. Adam Peaty, who won gold in 2016 and 2021 has faced injuries and mental health challenges since the Tokyo Games. After taking a break and considering retirement, he returned to form at the British trials. He swam a 57.94-second race, making him the fastest since Tokyo. Although he swam slower in the semi-final, Peaty appeared confident and content.

Furthermore, Adrian Moorhouse, Britain’s 1988 gold medallist, believes Peaty is well-positioned for the final, noting that Qin did not perform at his best in the semi-finals. On the other hand, James Wilby, Peaty’s teammate finished fifth in the semi-final and did not make the final.

In the relays, the British men’s team, who qualified third-fastest, fell short. The United States took gold, Australia silver and Italy bronze. Nevertheless, Matt Richards, Tom Dean, Duncan Scott and Jacob Whittle are favorites to defend their 4x200m freestyle title on Tuesday.

Moreover, Australia’s women secured gold in the 4x100m freestyle relay, marking their second gold of the night. Titmus also denied American Katie Ledecky an eighth Olympic gold in the 400m freestyle. Finally, Canada’s 17-year-old Summer McIntosh took silver and Ledecky claimed bronze.