PEATY’S REIGN FINALLY ENDED
Star fails to even land a medal as Wilby wins
FOR a time, it seemed like only the release of a great white shark into the pool might inject some jeopardy into his races. Ultimately, the answer to the question of how you stop Adam Peaty came in the more humane form of a damaged foot and the inspired charge of James Wilby.
Goodness, there are upsets and then there is Peaty losing a breaststroke race across a distance of 100m. It hadn’t happened before. Not once in a major final in a 50m pool in eight years. Not many close-run things, either.
And then this, the sort of race that rather bucked the idea that cheap gold can be mined at the Commonwealth Games.
He didn’t get one of those — the prize went to Wilby, among the many talented English swimmers living in one of the biggest shadows in all of sport. But here’s the thing — Peaty didn’t get silver or bronze either.
He was fourth. Empty tank and empty-handed. Having once said he felt ‘like a god’ every time he walked to the pool, he was now human.
With his record, you can get away with that kind of talk — it takes a puffed-out chest to support three Olympic gold medals, eight from the worlds and 17 at European level. But gods don’t break a foot doing routine stretches, like Peaty did ten weeks ago, and on such dumb luck and physiology an incredible streak was brought to an end.
The 27-year-old had led with all but 25m to go, but then he had too little left to give. Too little training to call on, having only shed his protective boot four weeks ago.
His time of 59.86 was almost three seconds shy of his latest of many world records, but more crucially it was behind the 59.25 clocked by Wilby, who had trailed at the turn but produced a scorching second 50m. Zac Stubblety-Cook, the Australian Olympic 200m champion was second and his teammate Sam Williamson took third.
‘It took a broken foot to get it away from me,’ said Peaty. ‘But I chose to fight. I don’t really care about the stats and how long I’m undefeated.
‘It was a very slow final for me. I can’t even remember when I went that slow. Of course it’s a shock.
‘I felt really good to 50. I just don’t know what went wrong. With 25 to go, I had nothing in the tank. Sometimes you just have a bad race.
‘Going into the next two years it’s: “How do I peak in Paris?” There’s obviously a lot going wrong in my training programme. It is what it is. Sometimes when you don’t race all season, it bites you when it matters.’
The kicker for Peaty is that, had he matched his semi-final time of 59.02sec, he would have won this final. But that’s where the depleted reserves came in — after only five races all year and so little training of late, he just didn’t have the gas for the journey.
He goes again in the 50m today, having lost that title on this stage four years ago — his last defeat prior to last night’s at any distance.
And so to Wilby, a world silver medallist in his own right and a holder of global gold in relay gigs. The shame is that a Peaty defeat, such is its rarity, will always be seen through that prism, but that does an inevitable injustice to an astonishing Wilby performance, which adds to his 200m silver last week. How great that he could have his day.
‘Adam is a phenomenal athlete,’ he said. ‘This moment, I was able to get a little edge on him, but he’ll probably kick me in the a**e later in the calendar. But I’m proud of that.’
Scot Ross Murdoch was one place behind old rival Peaty, who he will meet for one last time over 50m today. ‘I was shocked, really shocked,’ said the 200m champion of 2014. ‘But the boy’s had a tough year.’
Murdoch’s compatriot Craig Benson was sixth.
Duncan Scott will target a successful defence of his 100m freestyle title this evening and a sprint double. His longest shot in Birmingham came up short when he was fifth in the 200m butterfly. Instead New Zealander Lewis Clareburt prevented Chad Le Clos from taking this title for the fourth successive Games.
The South African’s silver, however, was his 18th medal from Commonwealth Games, drawing him level with shooters Michael Gault and Phillip Adams. Opportunities remain at Sandwell to make top spot his own.
Scott has the 4x200m freestyle as a secondary option this evening. There is every chance he will match, then surpass, shooter Alister Allan’s long-standing Scottish record of ten Commonwealth medals.
The 100m will re-ignite his amicable rivalry with England’s Tom Dean and Australia’s Kyle Chalmers, the Olympic champion eight years ago in Rio.
Australia’s Kaylee McKeown held off Canada’s Kylie Masse in the women’s 50m backstroke in a repeat of their 1-2 over 100m and 200m in Tokyo. Wales’ Medi Harris landed a surprise bronze, with Scotland’s Katie Shanahan eighth.
Scott Gibson was third in his semi to qualify for today’s men’s 50m backstroke final.
It took a broken foot to get it away from me. It was a very slow final for me. It’s a shock
ADAM PEATY ON LOSING OUT TO WILBY