Adam Peaty came to the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and mostly achieved what he wanted to in his individual events in the pool.
The Rio Olympics 100 meters breaststroke champion and world record holder was one of the faces of the program in the pool before the Games began and the prohibitive favorite for both sprint breaststroke events.
The 23-year-old had been unbeaten in four years in his preferred 100m distance and won the Commonwealth Games title by more than a body length, all the while swimming well within his capabilities.
However, he was beaten by South Africa’s Cameron van der Burgh in the 50m event on Monday when the two-time defending champion stormed off the blocks and the Englishman was unable to reel him in.
“Great race (and I) took it to him,” Peaty said. “I knew it was going to be a tough race. I’ve been off my best all week.
“Even though it’s a silver, I’m more happy with that silver than I was with the gold medal the other day because I know where to improve now, I know where to get the performance from.
“It gives me that reality check – even if you’re the best in the world, the world record holder, you can be beaten. That’s a valuable lesson.”
Peaty’s post-medal ceremony attitude reflected a change in approach over the last two days on the Gold Coast.
Lessons had been learned, ones that he will need to adhere to if he is going to maintain his focus on the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
