Determined Adam Peaty is aiming to take Tokyo by storm
Staffordshire’s Adam Peaty is convinced he will head into the Tokyo Olympics in a good place after storming to victory in the men’s 100m breaststroke final in the British Swimming Selection Trials at London Aquatics Centre.
Peaty’s world-leading time of 57.39 seconds ensures he now holds the top 20 fastest times in the event in history and came six years after he first broke the 100m world record at the same venue.
Peaty said: “I look back on that performance when I went 57.9 and I’m a completely different person now – I’m more mature, I’m more calculated, and I know when to take risks.
“I think in the next 14 weeks we can fine-tune that.
“There’s so much to build on right now, and I feel we’ve got a very good foundation.
“I can’t really see the next 14 weeks going badly.”
Peaty and his girlfriend Eirianedd Munro announced the birth of their son George in September last year but the 26-year-old admitted that from a swimming perspective the lockdown had hit him hard.
“Covid 19 took a lot out of a lot of athletes, especially me,” Peaty added.
“I’ve been to a lot of bad places and very negative places, but all I had to do was keep my eyes on the end of that tunnel.
“Who knows what competitions are going to be out there, but one thing I’m certain of is that I’ve got a pool, I’ve got a lane, and I’ve got a chance.
“It’s just the same two lengths of the pool that I’ve been doing since I was 10 years old.”
James Wilby, who like Peaty has already been pre-selected for the Tokyo Games, also went under the selection consideration time as he finished in second place in a time of 58.6 seconds.
World champion Duncan Scott broke Max Litchfield’s British record in the men’s 200m individual medley, building on a strong butterfly leg to finish in a time of 1:55.90.
Freya Anderson’s 1.56.80 was under the consideration time for the women’s 200m freestyle, and Aimee Willmott also went under with 4.35.70 in the women’s 400m individual medley.
