Adam Peaty began feeling unwell on Sunday, ahead of his Men’s 100m Breaststroke final. In the hours after the final, his symptoms became worse and he was tested for COVID early on Monday morning. He tested positive at that point.
He is hopeful to be back in competition for the relay events later in the swimming programme. As in any case of illness, the situation is being managed appropriately, with all usual precautions being taken to keep the wider delegation healthy.
Team GB ensured their place in the history books as they won the inaugural mixed 4x100m medley relay at an Olympic Games with a mesmerising world record swim at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.
The quartet of Kathleen Dawson, Adam Peaty, James Guy and Anna Hopkin delivered a dominant display to smash the world record by 0.83s in a time of 3:37.58, ahead of China and Australia.
It continued a remarkable competition for British swimmers, who now have four golds in their cabinet – the most for Team GB at a single Olympics since 1908 – and with the men’s 4x100m medley relay to come on Sunday, a fifth title could yet be secured for the first time ever.
Peaty, who will go again in Sunday’s relay, joined his compatriot Tom Dean as the first male British swimmer to win double gold at a Games since 1908 as he was typically dominant during the breaststroke leg – clocking a barely-believable split of 56.78.
Despite a slight slip off the wall at the start, backstroker Dawson had produced an impressive opening leg, sitting second of the teams who led off with women.
Dawson, 23, from Warrington, said: “I wasn’t going to let them bully me, I was going to swim my own race and it didn’t matter if it was two guys or two girls I was up against.”
Peaty chewed up the deficit to the three countries that started male-male and left the rest trailing.
Peaty, 26, from Uttoxeter, said: “I feel great. I was just trying to keep it as calm as I could, I get a bit carried away, especially when it’s for the team.
“It’s amazing to be swimming alongside these amazing women and Jimmy [James Guy].
“I knew that if I went out too hard, I wasn’t coming back. I just had to show my experience and maturity, not try to chase down the Americans.
“We’re the champions, let’s go and enjoy it.
“We’ve got champions who believe we can win and who believe we can break world records.
“If you’ve got belief, you can build everything around that.”
Guy then swam 50 seconds dead on the butterfly leg to put Team GB in complete control, with the decision to withdraw from his men’s 100m butterfly race to be ready for the relays paying off.
Guy, 25, from Bury, said: “It’s my fastest split ever by 0.5 seconds. Gold medal, world record, you can’t beat that, especially when it’s for the team.
“I was quite upset [about pulling out of the 100m butterfly] – I cried again, obviously – but it has paid off and it was worth it to go and do that time.
“To do this with one of my best mates in Adam and the two girls, we’re all northerners – it’s amazing!”
Hopkin never looked likely to relinquish the lead on the freestyle as she touched the wall 1.28s ahead of China in second.
Hopkin, 25, from Chorley, said: “I was trying not to think about how far ahead we were from them because it’s just irrelevant when you’re there and in a race.
“When I turned, I saw I had a bit of clear water and I just went for it. It’s an amazing feeling and I’m so privileged to be part of this team.”
The United States – the only team to go with a male freestyler – had left superstar Caeleb Dressel too much to do as they came home fifth.
In what has been an historic gala for Team GB’s swimmers, this latest success only added to the legend.
Adam Peaty became the first British swimmer to retain their Olympic title after winning Team GB’s first gold medal of Tokyo 2020 with victory in the men’s 100m breaststroke.
The fastest man to ever compete in breaststroke was a huge hope for gold and hit the expectations of a nation, stopping the clock in 57.37 seconds to become double Olympic champion.
With eight world titles, 16 European titles, the 16 fastest times in history and having broken the world record on five occasions, Peaty’s standing in the pool was never in doubt.
And a second Olympic gold medal was nothing less than what was hoped for from the 26-year-old, becoming Team GB’s first champion of a Games for the second time having achieved the feat in 2016.
“It takes an athlete to be the best person on the day and who wants it more,” said Peaty, from Uttoxeter.
“It just means the world to me. I thought I had the best preparation but morning finals changed everything and threw that out of window.
“I felt the pressure but I needed to put myself on edge.
“You can do whatever you want in your own pool but when it comes to being out here it’s not about a time.
“I was racing myself. It wasn’t about the time but the race.”
Peaty has long hard a target on his back in the world of breaststroke swimming.
For seven years he has been undefeated in the 100m discipline, while he is the only person to ever clock a time under 57 seconds.
For some, that would be a fearful place to be but Peaty is a man who relishes the challenge.
“I wanted it more. I know they are trying to get me but that’s where the training comes in,” he added.
“It’s like the four-minute mile – once one person does it, others do.
“Thanks to the nation for being behind me for five years and my family and my beautiful boy [George-Anderson Adetola Peaty].
“I knew it was going to take every bit of energy and I’m just so relieved.”
It is now less than a week until the Olympic flame is lit to signal the opening of the 32nd Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. Having been rescheduled a year later because of the global Coronavirus Pandemic, we can finally now look forward to what will hopefully be an exciting and thrilling spectacle of sport. As is tradition, Swimming will be one of the sports taking centre stage in the first week of the Games, so allow me to take you through some of the stories, events and athletes to look out for.
Adam Peaty will be aiming to become the first British swimmer to defend an Olympic title when he goes in the 100m Breaststroke heats on Saturday. Since winning Team GB’s first gold medal in Rio, he has won five more world titles, 8 European golds and lowered his own world record to an astonishing 56.88 seconds. He will be pushed closely by a number of quick European swimmers- including his training partner James Wilby- but his times are so much further ahead than anybody else’s that it is hard to see who will beat him at the moment. His breaststroke speed will be relied upon to help Britain’s chances in the 4×100 medley relay at the end of the programme, in which Great Britain are world champions.
Since becoming many people’s breakout star of the GB swimming team in Rio, Duncan Scott is a real contender in individual events this time around. He will contest the 200m Individual Medley (in which he is ranked 3rd in the world) and the 200m freestyle in which he currently occupies top spot in the rankings. I think his best chance of a gold will be in the individual medley. Tokyo will be the first Olympics since Athens 2004 that will not feature a certain Mr Michael Phelps, who remained unbeaten in this event across 4 Olympics (2004-2016).
Other strong contenders for medals on the men’s side are Tom Dean (200m freestyle), Luke Greenbank (200m backstroke) and James Guy (100m butterfly), as well as the medley and 4×200 free relays.
British women brought home 2 silver medals from Jazz Carlin and another from Siobhan-Marie O’Connor five years ago, but now that they have both retired, British Swimming will look to other names among the women to deliver medals. Top of the list is European champion Kathleen Dawson in the 100m backstroke. She took the title in Budapest in May, after having to re-swim the final because there was a faulty speaker in lane 1 and Sweden successfully lodged an appeal on behalf of their athlete. Nevertheless, repeating her win from earlier in the evening, showed she has steely resolve and the ability to face up to whatever challenge is thrown at her. And there will be some huge challengers in what many fans see as the hardest event to predict the medal winners.
Another outside medal hope is 20-year-old Freya Anderson in the 100 and 200m freestyle. She may have to swim huge lifetime bests to win a medal but making the final with swimmers such as Katie Ledecky, Federica Pellegrini, Penny Oleksiak and Sarah Sjostrom will put her in illustrious company. She has been a key part of relay medal success since 2017 and with Freya anchoring the team home, anything could happen. In the women’s 200 IM, Abbie Wood has been performing strongly throughout the ISL (International Swimming League) season and carried that into a world-leading 2:09 swim back in April at the selection trials.
Away from Team GB, one of the big stories will be whether Australia’s Cate Campbell can finally land the elusive individual Olympic gold which her career deserves. She will be competing at her fourth games and hopes to have a more stress-free build-up than Rio when she was heavy favourite but only came 6th in the 100m freestyle. Katie Ledecky, in her 3rd Games at still just 24, will be aiming to complete the freestyle clean sweep (200, 400, 800, 1500m) in what will be one of the busiest schedules. She may also have at least one relay for Team USA. Ariarne Titmus of Australia will run her very close, however. Caleb Dressel (USA) won 6 Gold medals at the most recent world championships in 2019 and will be aiming to assert his dominance in butterfly and freestyle events, as well as relays. He prefers not to be compared to his friend and mentor Michael Phelps but if he wins 7 golds in Tokyo, the questions to him will become inevitable.
Japan Swimming are a very strong team themselves, with gold medal hopes resting with Daiya Seto and Kosuke Hagino. One story sure to capture more hearts is that of Rikako Ikee, who returned this year to secure a spot on the relay team 2 years after getting a diagnosis of Leukemia. She is sure to be given a warm welcome back by her teammates and competitors.
While it is a shame that the Japanese government announced spectators would not be allowed to attend ANY sports due to Covid restrictions, I am confident we will see a successful week in the pool with fast times and close races. The swimmers have been racing in the ISL and their selection trials without crowds watching (apart from USA), and some still produced personal bests and world records, so I think the racing next week will be fast, frenetic and historic.
Enjoy the Games.
Jack Perryman, Manchester
Adam Peaty had an afternoon to remember, the Olympic champion breaking records galore to help guide his London Roar team into the International Swim League (ISL) final.
Winning the 50m Breaststroke on day one of action on Saturday boded extremely well for Peaty ahead of his favoured 100m event today, and he didn’t disappoint.
Watch here – https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/swimming/54951688
To the fore throughout, Peaty used his superior swimming ability down the final 25 metres to overhaul short course specialist Ilya Shymanovich and touch the wall in a new world record time of 55.49.
Naturally that was also a British, European and ISL record, as he adds the short course mark to his long course world record.
Of that sensational performance, Peaty said:
“That’s my first short course world record – obviously I struggle with short course! Ilya took so much out of me on those turns but in that last length I just thought right, no one works harder. That’s what we’ve been doing for 10 years, for moments like that.
“But it’s all about a learning process – that isn’t my best swim – it’s a world record but I know I can be faster. That was for my family tonight.
“When you’ve got a great team here and back home, analysing the data, it makes it all worth it; it’s my victory but it’s as much there’s as well.”
Full story & Images – https://www.britishswimming.org/news/latest-swimming-news/peaty-breaks-world-record-help-london-roar-make-isl-final/
Image courtesy of