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Swimming fans online were excited as British icon Adam Peaty marked a grand return to the pool with a statement victory at the Aquatics GB Swimming Championships after a dismal Doha World's show.
Peaty swam the fastest time of 2024 in 57.94 seconds in the 100m breaststroke event to not only secure a national gold medal but a place for the Paris Olympics 2024 as well. His timing of 58.53 seconds during heats on Tuesday would also have been enough to secure a gold medal at the Doha World Aquatics Championships 2024, where the 29-year-old had to settle for bronze.
Peaty holds the world record in the 100m breaststroke event as well, having clocked an exceptional 56.88 seconds during the 2019 World Championships. The Olympic champion was asked in an interview whether he thought he was back at his best, and he replied in the affirmative. Adam Peaty told BBC:
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"A 57.9 is very good, still not where I want to be, but the first solid result where I am like, 'Oh not many people can do this'."
Just like he thought he was back at his best, swimming fans around the globe expressed similar opinions on social media. A fan wrote:
"The King is back"
Calling him the king of breaststroke events, another fan expressed:
"Breast King is back!!"
Another fan claimed that Peaty was finally showing levels to the world. They wrote:
"Peaty reminding the world who he is"
Here are some more reactions:
Adam Peaty calls the last three years ‘hell’
After winning multiple gold medals at the 2020 Tokyo Games, everything didn't go as well for Adam Peaty as he would have liked. The Brit opted out of the 2022 Commonwealth Games owing to mental health struggles.
Peaty suffered from depression and alcoholism. Things went further downhill for the World medalist after his three-year-long relationship with his girlfriend Eirianedd Munro ended. He made a long pending return at the 2024 Doha World Championships, his first Worlds since 2019, and now claims he has recovered from the tragic last three years.
"This is a real win for my team, my family and myself. We have come through the past three years of hell. I didn't want to see a pool again. The sport had broken me. I didn't know what route to go down and so many things got in my way, but now I am waking up each day and enjoying my job", he told BBC.
Adam Peaty won a bronze medal in the 100m backstroke at the Doha World Championships, and a third-place finish followed in the 4x400m medley relay. While Peaty will face tough competition from China's Qin Haiyang, the Englishman will be a big favorite for the 100m breaststroke gold in Paris later this year.
