Three-time Olympic gold medallist Adam Peaty failed to retain his 100 metres breaststroke title in Paris. He won silver, not gold, but still, it was a remarkable achievement. He was unwell and, after the event, was diagnosed with Covid.
The 29-year-old Englishman lost by only 0.02 seconds to the Italian Nicolo Martinenghi, tying with the American Nic Fink in second place. They both completed the 100 metres in 59.05 and went on to share the podium step together.
Before feeling unwell, Peaty had swum faster in the semi-finals, where he clocked 58.86, a time that would have won gold in the finals, where Martinenghi won the race in 59.03.
Peaty, who won the 100 metres breastroke in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and Tokyo three years ago, had been aiming to match the American Michael Phelps’ record of winning the same swim race at three straight Olympics, but he woke up on Sunday (July 28) morning with a sore throat. (Phelps won the 100 metres butterfly as well as the 200 metres medley in Athens, 2004; Beijing, 2008; and London, 2012).
World record holder
Peaty is the world record holder in the men’s 100 metres breaststroke with a time of 56.88 recorded in 2019.
Team Great Britain said in a statement: “Adam Peaty began feeling unwell on Sunday, ahead of his men’s 100 breaststroke final. In the hours after the final, his symptoms became worse and he was tested for COVID early on Monday morning. He tested positive at that point.”
“The situation is being managed appropriately,” the British team statement said, “with all usual precautions being taken to keep the wider (British) delegation healthy.”
The Paris Olympics do not have COVID-specific health rules, a departure from the Tokyo Games and the 2022 Beijing Winter Games.
Peaty is not the first athlete to come down with Covid in Paris. Five Australian women water polo players tested positive even before the Games began.
Peaty hugged Martinenghi and Fink on the medal podium and said he was delighted for Martinenghi.
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Peaty says
Later, he wrote on Instagram that he had a tough time before the Olympics and added that the silver medal was a “blessing”.
“A night full of raw emotion and sport in its true form,” he wrote. “These last 14 months have been incredibly testing and I do not regret one training session or decision I made.
“I’ve continued to fight and find new ways to enjoy something that has broken me to the core and to end up with an Olympic silver through all of that is an absolute blessing. I’m more proud of the man and athlete I am from last night than I have been across my entire career.”
He now has six Olympic medals, including three gold medals (for 100 metres breaststroke in Rio and Tokyo and 4×100 metres mixed medley in Tokyo) and three silvers (for 4×100 metres medley in Rio and Tokyo and 100 metres breaststroke in Paris).
Peaty, who returned to racing in February after mental health struggles, described his silver medal as a personal victory.
“In my heart I’ve won and these are happy tears because I said to myself that I would give my absolute best every single day and I have. You can’t be upset about that,” he said.