Adam Peaty sheds happy tears despite missing out on Olympic swimming gold

PARIS – Adam Peaty lost a race but shed tears of happiness, declaring himself a winner all the same at the Paris Olympics after his bid for a third straight 100 metres breaststroke gold ended in silver on July 28.

The 29-year-old Briton, whose battle with drink and mental health issues after the 2020 Tokyo Games has been well documented, said he had no regrets and Italian Nicolo Martinenghi deserved his victory.

“It’s not sad at all,” he said at Paris La Defense Arena after finishing joint-second with American Nic Fink.

He said that although he had woken up on the July 28 morning with the “curveball” of a cough and feeling under the weather, he was not seeking any excuse.

“If you’re willing to put yourself on the line every single time, I think there’s no such thing as a loss. I’m so happy that the right man won it.

“I’m not defining myself by a medal. I define myself by my heart and what it’s made me feel, what it’s made me produce,” he added. “It’s got the best out of me.

“I think it’s broken me, this sport, but it’s also given me life.”

Martinenghi's time was a relatively slow 59.03 seconds, far slower than Peaty had managed in the semi-finals and also in the British trials. But the Italian said it was about seizing the moment rather than the race time, and he did exactly that when it mattered.

Peaty, who clocked 59.05sec, choked up, sobbing as he recounted his young son George’s response.

“As soon as I see his curly hair, I’m like, I’m gone, I’m crying,” he said. “Any parent or anyone that has that love, it’s just a different type of love, something that swimming can’t give me any more. And I don’t want it to give me any more.

“He normally goes ‘Daddy, are you the fastest boy?’ And I would have said ‘Not today’. But he just says ‘I love you, Daddy’. That’s what I care about.”

It was announced on July 29 that Peaty had tested positive for Covid-19, leaving his participation in the relays in doubt and also his chances for more silverware. The silver was his sixth Olympic medal, equalling Duncan Scott’s record for a British swimmer.

In the other big race on July 28, Leon Marchand said he had goosebumps after romping to France’s first Olympic swimming gold since 2012 in front of a packed and raucous Paris crowd.

Marchand obliterated the rest of the field in the 400m individual medley final in clocking 4min 2.95sec, nearly six seconds clear of Japan’s Tomoyuki Matsushita (4:08.62) in second, with American Carson Foster (4:08.66) third.

The time was the second-fastest ever, just off the Frenchman’s world record of 4:02.50, and gave most of the spectators at La Defense Arena what they came for on the second night of competition.

The 22-year-old was greeted with a massive roar when he entered the arena and the noise did not let up until long after he had touched the wall in an Olympic record time.

“I had goosebumps on the podium,” said Marchand, who will also swim the 200m medley and 200m butterfly.

“I felt really proud to be myself and to be also French tonight. It was an amazing time for me and I was really living it in the moment, so that was pretty cool.”

Marchand said he took a call from French President Emmanuel Macron after the race.

“He told me that he was watching the final with his whole family,” said Marchand.

“Everyone was screaming on the phone. It was kind of funny and I was very grateful for that phone call.”

Meanwhile, Torri Huske said it was “surreal” after stunning American teammate and world record holder Gretchen Walsh to clinch the women’s 100m butterfly gold.

“It’s very surreal,” said Huske after winning her second Paris medal, having been part of the US’ silver-medal winning 4x100m freestyle relay team on Juy 27.

“I don’t really remember my race that much. My first 50 felt good, and then I’ve been really working on my second 50 a lot, especially after last year.

“I’ve kind of had a weak finish and died in my race, like lost it all in the last 50, so I really wanted to have a good, strong last 50. It’s just very overwhelming when you’ve been training for this moment for so long.”

Walsh turned first and seemed destined for glory but Huske chased her down to touch in 55.59sec.

Walsh (55.63sec) had to settle for second, with China’s Zhang Yufei (56.21sec) adding bronze to her Tokyo Olympic silver. Canadian defending champion Maggie Mac Neil finished fifth and Australia’s Emma McKeon, the queen of the pool in Tokyo with seven medals, came sixth. REUTERS, AFP