UNPEATABLE? NOT ANY MORE
Adam’s first loss in four years
ADAM PEATY was beaten for the first time in four years as the Commonwealth Games cemented its reputation as a graveyard for champions.
Britain’s greatest swimmer lined up for the 50m breaststroke knowing that two-time Olympic gold medalists Alistair Brownlee and Max Whitlock had already bombed.
Nobody expected the world champion and world record holder to follow suit – not 48 hours after he talked of going a “lifetime” unbeaten over his specialist 100m distance. Peaty had not lost a long-course race over 50 or 100m since 2014 and his world record for this event is more than half a second better than anyone in history.
But at a stunned Gold Coast Aquatic Centre he was relegated into second spot by South Africa’s Cameron van der Burgh, the last man to beat the 23-year-old in Glasgow four years ago.
“That was probably one of the worst-feeling races I have ever done,” said the Englishman, who clocked 26.62sec – well outside his world record 25.95. “I’ve been off my best all week and this gives me a reality check. Even if you are the best in the world, you can still be beaten.”
It was a double night of giant-killing for South Africa with sprinter Akani Simbine upsetting ex-world champion Yohan Blake in the men’s 100m final at Carrara Stadium.
Only Usain Bolt has ever run faster than Blake and he sent his friend and countryman to the start line with the instruction to “win or else you can’t go back home”.
The race was over in the first few strides as the Jamaican was slowly away and Simbine left him for dead, winning in 10.03sec.