New world-record was due, says Peaty

Image
AFP Budapest
Last Updated : Jul 25 2017 | 6:13 PM IST
Britain's Adam Peaty said it was about time that he broke his own men's 50m breaststroke world-record today in the heats of the world aquatic championships.
The 22-year-old clocked 26.10 seconds, lowering his own mark of 26.42 set two years ago in the semi-finals of the world champs in Kazan, Russia, on his way to winning the final.
Fresh from winning the men's 100m breaststroke gold on Monday night, Peaty blasted out his world-record time to qualify for Tuesday night's semi-finals.
"I wasn't going for a world record, I was just trying to qualify for the semis," said Peaty, who says he can go even faster.
"If I can pick up a few hundredths or tenths this evening, I'd be happy.
"It's still only 10 in the morning, which is very early for a world record, but we'll see.
"That world record was two years old, so it was kind of due another push on."
It is the second world-record to fall at the world championships in Budapest.
Sarah Sjostrom of Sweden became the first woman to swim the 100m freestyle in under 52 seconds on Sunday.
It is the third time Peaty has held the 50m world record in his career.
His main rival in Wednesday's final looks to be Cameron van der Burgh, who was only 0.44secs behind Peaty in the heats.
The South African was the joint record holder with Peaty before the Brit lowered his own time in Kazan.
Kevin Cordes of the United States, the 50m bronze medallist in 2015, and Brazil's Joao Gomes were also within a second of Peaty's time in the heats.
"I saw Cam and Kevin going quite fast, obviously I was just trying to put a marker down, but I was quite relaxed," said Peaty.
Van der Burgh, the 50m silver medallist two years ago, was unimpressed with Peaty's time.
"World records in heats don't win finals," said the South African.
"Now we know what he is capable of, we can go back and plan on going forward.

Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content

*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Jul 25 2017 | 6:13 PM IST

Next Story