Great Britain’s 21-year-old breaststroke specialist Adam Peaty has set the new world record in the men’s 100 metres breaststroke heats at Rio’s Olympic Aquatic Stadium today. This is the Rio Olympic’s first new world record in swimming, and the second new world record overall.
Peaty has beaten his own record of 57.92 seconds – a mark he set in London at the British Championships last year – and set a personal best of 57.55 seconds. He has, naturally, stood first in the heats of the men’s 100 M.
Japan’s Yasuhiro Koseki has stood second in the relay rankings with a time of 58.91 seconds – a whole second and a half behind Peaty.
At his Olympic debut in Rio, the 2016 European Champion and the 2015 World Champion in the 100 meter breaststroke will look to repeat his feat for a gold medal at the semis and the final of the event.
Among other fans tweeting in congratulations for Peaty is his grandmother, Mavis, who describes herself as a ‘Proud Nan to a World Champion breaststroker’ on Twitter!
Peaty, who had captured Britain’s medal imagination when he became the very first breaststroker to win both sprint breaststroke events at the same world championships is also the country’s most successful swimmer in a single world championships.