Peaty ready to secure new record
ADAM PEATY took off his goggles, saw his time, gave a couple of nods of the head and served notice that he was ready to lower his world-record mark in tonight’s World Championships 100m breaststroke final.
The brilliant 22-year-old beat his record time for these championships set two years ago in coasting to the wall in 57.75secs in a one-way semi-final here.
On the opening night inside the Duna Arena, there was clear daylight between the Olympic champion and his rivals in both his qualification races yesterday.
The question now is whether he can focus on shaving a further 0.62secs down the final 50m – as well as being able to keep his clothing intact.
“I’m going to get myself up for it really good,” said Peaty. “There I was just going through the motions, getting out a 57.7, but my jacket that they make you put on fell off three times.
“I was messing about with that so I can improve so much more in the final.”
Peaty loves racing in raucous atmospheres, and judging by the reception he was given by the swimmingloving Hungarians, the British star will be well up for the defence of his title.
“I was quite nervous before Rio and Kazan,” he said. “It’s a completely different environment to what it is now. I’m ready, this is my home. I love to race with the crowd and it’s such an amazing venue.”
Once again at a major meet, Peaty’s room-mate James Guy, below, could not muster an individual medal. The Bath-based swimmer finished sixth in the 400m freestyle.
Guy, the 2015 world silver medallist, had led after the first 150m but faded in the final stages.
“Based on this morning’s swim I felt so relaxed and controlled but tonight I got caught up a little bit with Tae-hwan Park beside me.
“I was kind of swimming off him a little,” said Guy.
The same cannot be said of his Bath team-mate SiobhanMarie O’Connor, who set a season’s best time in the 200m individual medley semi-finals. O’Connor, who was disqualified from the trials but handed a reprieve in selection, seems to be getting better with each race after recovering from illness.
She qualified fourth-fastest behind local favourite Katinka Hosszu, the Hungarian who edged her out of a gold medal in a fingertip finish at the Olympics.
Meanwhile, Ben Proud sent out a clear warning to his rivals before tonight’s 50m butterfly final.
The time of 22.92secs by the rising star of sprint swimming qualified him fourth fastest for the one-length showdown, 0.16secs behind American Caeleb Remel Dressel.
“This was a good day to understand where I am with my training and I feel like I’m faster than that 22.80 British record I set earlier this year,” said Proud.