Touchdown for Paul at Quins
Peaty believes he sent out a statement that he is back in the hunt to lower his own world record having blazed through his first qualifying heat in 57.89secs – the seventh fastest time in history.
Peaty, 23, returned to the Tollcross pool in the evening to win his semi-final in a slightly slower time of 58.04, yet it was still a league ahead of the second fastest qualifier, his Great Britain teammate James Wilby.
It is a mark of Peaty’s dominance of the event that he talks realistically of smashing the almost-mythical 57-second barrier while no other swimmer – past or present – has gone under 58 seconds in the event.
He said: “This morning was a great swim but there was no emotion in there tonight – I wasn’t using the crowd or any of the supplements I usually use beforehand, so it was probably a seven-out-of-10 engagement.
“Tomorrow is about executing the race I want to execute. I’ll be on my full game. I don’t know whether sub-57 secs is going to be tomorrow. I always say it’s possible – but I’m not concentrating on it.’’
Peaty had arrived in Glasgow on the back of a relatively disappointing Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, where despite winning his favoured 100m discipline his aura of invincibility slipped when he had to settle for silver over the 50m distance.
Subsequent soulsearching persuaded Peaty to change his psychological approach to the sport having admitted there were times when he had began to question whether his relentless training schedule was all worthwhile.
Now he is convinced he is ready to reap the rewards of that process, and if his world record of 57.13 will prove a stretch tonight there is a growing inevitability that the mark will not take too long to lower.
Referring to his performance in Australia, Peaty said: “I’m a completely different guy now – I’m really just racing for the enjoyment and to make my family proud, instead of all this extra stuff that’s around me. I’m back to enjoying it and I’m HARLEQUINS have signed former Chicago Bears NFL full-back Paul Lasike with boss Paul Gustard saying he is a player with “game-changing potential”.
Lasike will move to Quins from American rugby union side Utah Warriors. The 28-year-old centre left American football last year and has since won six rugby union caps for the United States.
He starred when the US beat Scotland 30-29 in Texas earlier this summer.
Quins head of rugby Gustard said: “I am delighted Paul is joining us for the start of a new era at Harlequins.
“He is a player who has enormous gamechanging potential. He adds something different to a talented group of centres that we have at the club.”
New Zealand-born Lasike played full-back during his stint with the Bears. “Playing rugby in the US and representing them at international level has been an awesome experience,” said Lasike.
“But it was an honour to be asked to join such a prestigious club as Quins, and I am delighted to be joining. “It is an exciting opportunity, and now we have the next month to get prepared for the start of the season. I can’t wait.”
Quins will kick off their Gallagher Premiership campaign against Sale Sharks on September 1. LASIKE