Adam Peaty wins Team GB first gold in Rio

 

Swimmer Adam Peaty has won Team GB their first gold medal of this summer’s Olympics in Rio in dramatic style after he broke his own world record to do so.

The 21 year old, who hated water as a young child, heading to the pool having previously broken the world record in the previous qualifying round.

After setting the record in the previous qualifying rounds, the Brit was made odds on favourite to win the contest, and from the strongest possible start where he was immediately out in front, he went on to do so.

Having already aquired the lead from the off, Peaty set about beating his previous world record, and stroke after stroke, he became closer to doing so.

He reached the end, knowing he’d claimed gold, and looked at the clock, which read 57.13secs – four tenths of a second faster than the previous – and he punched his fist in celebration for both the gold medal and another world record.

Peaty has now swum the seven fastest times in the history of the event, beating his own world record twice in three swims of his Olympic debut.

His nearest challenger, South African Cameron van der Burgh, came second with a respectable 58.69, but Peaty remains the only swimmer to have gone under 58 seconds.

Adrian Moorhouse, the last Brit to win gold in the same event an astonish 28 years ago in Seoul, South Korea, was present to witness this new talent emerge to the world, finishing more than four seconds ahead of him!

Peaty, who has already won two Commonwealth golds, eight European golds and three world golds, has now broken the world record on three occasions and gained the Olympic crown.

This Rio win marks a remarkable transformation for Peaty in just four years and owes a lot to the London Olympics in 2012. 

Four years ago, with the games in Blighty, a seventeen year old Peaty was preparing to go out with some friends to get drunk in a field during the Olympics. Having picked up his phone, he saw one result which caught his eye after spotting the name of a friend, Craig Benson.

“That was the second it all changed,” said Peaty. “I thought, “I am going to do everything I can to get to Rio”.’ From being 98 per cent committed, he went to 100.’