Adam Peaty: Team GB star wins 100-meter breastplate gold at the Tokyo Olympics
| Events: July 23rd – August 8th Time in Tokyo: BST +8 |
| Cover: Watch live on BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, BBC Red Button and online; Listen to BBC Radio 5 Live, Sports Extra and Sounds; Live text and video clips on the BBC Sport website and app. |
Adam Peaty made his name again when he won 100 meter breastplate gold in Tokyo and became the first British swimmer to defend an Olympic title.
The world record holder has blown away the competition to win the first British gold medal at the Games.
From start to finish, it was a perfectly executed swim from Peaty, who was six tenths ahead of the field in 57.37 seconds.
The Dutchman Arno Kamminga, the only man besides Peaty ever to finish below 58 seconds, took the silver medal, while the bronze medal went to Nicolo Martinenghi from Italy. GB’s James Wilby finished fifth.
Once the victory was confirmed, Peaty hit the water and shouted “come on” as he once again left his rivals behind, wondering what it would take to beat him.
“It means the world to be me,” the 26-year-old told BBC Sport. “It’s not about who is the best all year round, but who is the best during the day. It’s about who is adaptable and who wants it more.
“When it comes down to it, I don’t drive for a while, I race myself.
“I want to thank my family, my great partner and beautiful son. This win was not mine, it was that of the British team and my family and friends. I am just so relieved.”
The Tokyo win seemed largely inevitable for Peaty as no one had come close to him in recent years.
He has not lost this distance for more than seven years and in addition to his gold in Rio five years ago, Peaty has won the 100m breaststroke at the last three world championships, broken the world record five times and is the only man ever to swim in less than 57 seconds to be.
With this title, Peaty has the chance to win more medals if he competes in the men’s 4x100m medley relay and possibly the mixed 4x100m medley relay.
More history written, sporting immortality next?
Peaty posed in front of photographers after winning a gold medal
Rewriting history is nothing new to Peaty, and from his point of view, this latest achievement is just another step on the road to athletic immortality.
In December last year, Peaty talked about his ambition to achieve Project Immortal – a theoretical swim he described so well that it is almost inhuman and can never be beaten.
It wasn’t like swimming. Despite his dominance, it wasn’t the fastest time he has ever managed, but everything indicates that one day it will be achieved, especially since Peaty appears to have gotten stronger despite the fact that his life outside of the pool has changed for him.
There was of course the coronavirus pandemic that resulted in those Olympics being postponed for a year, but instead of viewing a year of bans as a wasted year in his career, Peaty instead believes it only helped him get a new one To find level.
“Last year’s lockdown gave me a second wind.” he said in a recent interview. “I always felt like I was charging, charging, charging, but now I can easily switch off.”
Peaty also became a dad in 2020 which, in his opinion, has matured him and given him a new perspective on life.
“It gave him more motivation – not that he needed it anyway,” two-time Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington told BBC Sport. “He seems happy and more relaxed and confident.
“He’s just phenomenal. We won’t see many Adam Peatys in my life.”
