FILE PHOTO: 2018 European Championships – 50m Breaststroke Men Final – Tollcross International Swimming Centre, Glasgow, Britain – August 8, 2018 – Adam Peaty competes. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth/File Photo
LONDON (Reuters) – Olympic champion Adam Peaty swam the fastest 100m breaststroke of the year on his way to winning gold in the British championships in Glasgow on Tuesday.
The 24-year-old booked his place at the world championships in Gwangju, South Korea, in July — although that was never in any doubt — with his time of 57.87 seconds after reaching the turn in 26.63.
That marked the first time in 2019 that he has gone under 58 seconds.
Peaty’s world record in the distance, set in Glasgow last year, stands at 57.10.
“Coming back on that last 50m, I was just smoothing it out,” he said. “The world championships will be a very different race.
“Taking the winter off from competitions has done me the world of good. My stroke feels amazing and I don’t think I’ve ever, ever been this strong and as powerful.”
Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Toby Davis