PEATY ‘AS GOOD AS PHELPS’
Olympic legend Spitz hails dominance of British star
AMERICAN legend Mark Spitz says Adam Peaty’s supremacy puts him in the same league as Michael Phelps.
British hero Peaty has enjoyed a stellar World Championships in Budapest, claiming gold in the 50m and 100m breaststroke and breaking his own world record in both events for good measure.
Spitz told Mirror Sport: “You could consider Adam a Michael Phelps with regard to the dominance in the breaststroke events. There’s just no doubt about it.
“He’s not swimming eight days on an eight-day programme and I wouldn’t go as far as saying that he is Michael Phelps.
“But I’ve always felt you should never deny somebody that is really great at an event, a world-record holder, that they are not as good as Phelps. They are.”
Peaty has already swum the 10 fastest times in history for the 100m – and also holds the six fastest times for the 50m.
Spitz, who wrote his own chapter in swimming history by winning seven golds at the 1972 Olympics, added: “If I was in his event, the only thing I would be thinking about is who would be first to be second – not who would be first to be first.
“Because Adam has already established that first is what he’s here for in Hungary. So among all his competitors, they’re jockeying about who’s going to get second, who’s going to get third. And that is a great position to be in.
“Even if he has a bad day, he still has the ability to win.”
The 22-year-old City of Derby star does not return to the pool until the 4x100m medley relay on Sunday – and Spitz’s comments came on a disappointing day for Great Britain at the Duna Arena.
Max Litchfield came an agonising fourth in the men’s 200m individual medley in 1min 56.86sec. Drawn in lane three, Litchfield was unable to see China’s Shun Wang, who came from behind in lane one to hijack the bronze.
Duncan Scott was fifth in the men’s 100m freestyle and Georgia Davies came eighth in the 50m backstroke.
But it was not all tears as Ross Murdoch won his 200m breaststroke semi to cruise into the final.