Peaty sets new world records twice in day
Adam Peaty surprised even himself after improving his own 50 metres breaststroke world record by almost half a second in one day at the World Championships in Budapest.
Olympic champion Peaty won 100m breaststroke gold on Monday’s second day and vowed there would be “something special” over one length yesterday.
But even the 22-yearold Uttoexter swimmer did not expect what happened - a 0.47 seconds improvement on the world record of 26.42 seconds he set in winning the 50m title in Kazan, Russia in 2015.
Peaty clocked 26.10 in the morning heat, 0.44 ahead of his nearest rival, and improved his mark to 25.95 in the evening semifinal, 0.73 clear of the field.
“I didn’t think I was going to do that,” said Peaty, who shook his head in disbelief after seeing his time.
Peaty, though, knows what matters is the title this evening, when he will likely also be part of the British 4x100m mixed medley relay team seeking to win successive golds after victory in 2015.
He added: “I enjoyed it tonight. Obviously it’s nothing without the gold that goes along with it.
“I’m going to be focusing now, staying neutral and see what we get tomorrow.”
Peaty’s advantage is a huge margin over two lengths of the pool, let alone one.
But he is focused on himself, having learned from experience since 2014 and winning Commonwealth, European, world and Olympic titles.
“This morning I wasn’t prepared to do a world record,” Peaty added.
“It was just me easing through the stroke and touching the wall.”