Peaty’s in fast form

ADAM PEATY, the Olympic champion, was the fastest qualifier for tonight’s 100metres breaststroke final at the World Championships in Budapest, and he goes into that race with his biggest challenger missing from the line-up. The lane reserved for South Africa’s Cameron van der Burgh in the heats was left empty, as the the gold medallist from the 2012 London Games failed to make it to his starting block. Peaty, who set the world record 57.13sec in Rio last year, clocked 58.21 in his morning heat, nearly a full second faster than the next quickest. In last night’s semi-final at the Duna Arena, the Loughborough-based 22-year-old touched out in a championship record 57.75. ‘It’s a lot faster than I’ve been in heats. It’s looking very promising,’ Peaty said. ‘I’m feeling very confident. Unluckily, Cameron’s not in the race, so we can’t have a nice tussle in the final.’ Kevin Cordes, of the United States, goes into the final as second quickest qualifier with 58.64, while Scotsman Ross Murdoch will have an outside lane in the final after qualifying seventh fastest with 59.23. TV: BBC 2 4.30-6pm.