SECOND COMING
Peaty insists shock defeat in Oz has only made him stronger
THE parochial expectation is that of a tsunami of Braveheart success. The certainty is of viewing genuine greatness in the shape of a Lionheart.
The hopes for glory in the European Championships at Tollcross have a tartan tinge with the likes of Hannah Miley, Ross Murdoch and Duncan Scott ready to add to their collection of medals. But the reality is that British swimming has never been more powerful, more primed for victory.
Its leader in terms of quality is undoubtedly Adam Peaty, who has won 18 major gold medals, including one of the Olympic variety.
‘He is lion-hearted,’ Jack Buckner, chief executive of British Swimming, told Sportsmail yesterday on the eve of the swimming championships.
‘He is a great kid. We need to make the most of heroes like that. They don’t come along too often.’
Indeed, one of Peaty’s own heroes when he was growing up was Muhammad Ali, another unique talent, and when he explains why you get a much greater insight into his desire to revolutionise swimming.
‘The way he changed the sport,’ said Peaty. ‘How he promoted every fight, he made boxing grow from an amateur sport to a multi-billion-dollar industry.’
Fitting, then, from a man who in his own sport has ripped up the record books, penned new ones of his own and ripped them up again. He has taken swimming to new heights but his ultimate goal is to inspire generations, just like Ali once did.
And, in the water at least, Peaty certainly floats like a butterfly — he holds the 100 metres (57.13sec) and 50m (25.95sec) breaststroke records.
But back in April, it was Cameron van der Burgh who delivered the sting on the Gold Coast. Peaty lost his first race in four years when Van der Burgh beat him in the Commonwealth 50m breaststroke and it was a sting that burst his bubble of invincibility. How he views that silver medal, however, is a mark of his growth.
‘It’s not as bad as it seems, a loss,’ he said. ‘Yeah, it’s annoying when people say: “Oh, you got beat”, but all the greats have lost at some point.
‘It’s how you bounce back. I lost by 0.02 seconds. If I did something a little bit different, then I would have won it.
‘But I’m glad I didn’t. Even if I could go back in time and have a guaranteed win, I wouldn’t do it. Because I’ve learnt a lot about myself and now that motivation to win is stronger than ever.’
He says he’s more philosophical, less intense than he once was. Still driven, to the point of obsession, but his whirlwind life since the Olympics has made him appreciate other things in life.
He has met the Queen, received an MBE, upped sticks from the parental home and bought his own place, splashed out on supercars, covered himself in tattoos and has a new girlfriend, Millicent Jenner.
But he still enjoys his simple pleasures, chilling out watching
Modern Family on Netflix and has a penchant for fashion.
Despite the defeat, he oozes confidence, boldly predicting he won’t need to be at his best to win in Glasgow.
‘I’m still training as hard as I can, but when I’m racing I don’t need to invest all this energy to win. I can get away with 90 per cent,’ said Peaty. ‘You have to choose your battles when you get older and peak when it counts.’
That is the mindset shared by Buckner.
‘Clarity and consistency of purpose,’ he said, when describing the key to British Swimming’s success. ‘We focus on big games. The aim for swimmers is simple: swim your season’s best in the biggest meet of the year.’
Long after the roars fade in the championships, a considered analysis of each swimmer will be made, including Peaty.
‘He is still hungry,’ said Buckner. ‘If you look at the great sports legends, they do it more than once. He is capable of that.’
The swimming event offers genuine elite sport. This is illustrated by 37 of the 42 European champions from London 2016 and nine of the 12 world champions from Budapest last year competing in Glasgow.
The burden of Scottish hopes lies heavily on Murdoch, Scott and the perennial achiever Miley.
‘Scotland always has a good squad,’ said Buckner. ‘There are ones who have already succeeded and there are some promising youngsters coming through.’