Despite being one of the star attractions at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Adam Peaty is relaxed about the fortnight ahead and believes it’s just a matter of time before he sets the swimming world alight once more.
Peaty is one of only three Brits to have been crowned champion at swimming’s four major international events – the Olympic Games, World and European Championships, and The Commonwealth Games – a feat he completed at Rio 2016.
He holds world records in the 50m and 100m breaststroke too and took three medals home from the last Commonwealth Games in Glasgow four years ago.
But Peaty is not feeling the pressure of expectation.
“I’m always looking for the next high and the world record is obviously a massive high for me,” he said.
“If I do it this year, or if I do it in two years or four years, it doesn’t really matter. It’s going to happen, I know it is, it’s within me. It’s just when and where really.
“I swam 58.7 seconds [for 100m] at the British Championships in Edinburgh. I was only a second and a half off my world record then, and that was in a hard, hard training block.
“It was snowing outside, it was freezing, and it was kind of a hard environment. But I still got up there, still performed, and I think that would have got second at the Olympics in 2016 and I was half in my bed, so it’s looking good for now, but you can’t really tell until race day.”
Peaty is set to race the 50m, 100m and 200m breaststroke, as well as the 4x100m medley, in Australia.
Any anticipated triumphs would see Peaty climb the medal podium to hear Team GB long jumper Jazmin Sawyers and 2017 Britain’s Got Talent winner Tokio Myers’ reworked version of anthem Jerusalem.
And the 22-year-old is a fan.
“Four years ago, hearing Jerusalem was a bit of a different thing for me,” he added. “With Great Britain you normally get the national anthem, but Jerusalem still feels close to my heart.
“So it’s going to be great to hear that and hopefully I can get those personal bests, those world records, but who knows.”
Sportsbeat 2018