TRIOMPHE IN ADVERSITY

Injured Peaty focused on the Paris Olympics and Commonwealth Games as he tells rivals to make the most of his absence from worlds

ADAM PEATY says the Paris Olympics will be “very special” for him and suggests his rivals make the most of his absence from the World Championships.

Britain’s greatest swimmer misses the event, which starts tomorrow in Budapest, having fractured a bone in his foot while training last month.

Without Peaty, champion in both 50m and 100m breaststroke at the last three Worlds, there will be a new winner for the first time since 2013.

But the Staffordshire star warned: “Going through this now is going to be one of the best things that’s happened to me, in terms of perspective, hunger and drive, heading into Paris ’24.

“That Olympics is going to be a very special one for me.

“Eiri, my partner, reckons this injury has given a new flavour and depth to my career because I’ve never before been injured. And she’s right.

“You’re forced to be in this hole and you can’t fight yourself out of it. There’s nothing you can change, nothing you can do better. You’ve just got to be patient and give it time.”

Patience does not come naturally to an athlete who spends his career chasing perfection, and has come as close to it as his sport has seen.

So while Peaty has made peace with his absence from Hungary, he is not about to give up on next month’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

“It’s going to be about what’s in here,” he said, tapping his heart. “I’ve no race experience this year. I’ve done what, three. Normally, it’s 15 by this point. So it will be interesting to see how these next few weeks go.”

The calculation the 27-year-old must make is what sort of shape is sufficient for him to take his marks in the Sandwell Aquatics Centre, in the biggest major multi-sport competition staged in England since London 2012.

“I’ve always said if I can fight, I’ll fight,” said Peaty (right), a CUPRA ambassador. “If I can’t fight, I’m not going to risk.

“Out of respect for who I am, what I do and what I’m about, I wouldn’t risk it for something that is sub-par and not me. But hopefully, we’ll be in a position soon where I can start to do breaststroke kick. That, then, should give me enough time, in terms of technique, to get back on the ball.”

Adam Peaty drives the CUPRA Formentor, the high-performance coupe crossover SUV.

For more information, visit www. cupraofficial.co.uk