‘I can retire now’ – Adam Peaty in humorous mood after winning 50m breaststroke gold at Commonwealth Games
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Updated 02/08/2022 at 20:10 GMT
"That was the only one I haven't won in my career, the Commonwealth 50m and I can retire now," joked Adam Peaty after he won the gold medal in the 50m breaststroke event at the Commonwealth Games. Peaty, who had recently returned after a broken foot, had been enduring a frustrating time in Birmingham until his victory on Tuesday.
Adam Peaty of Team England celebrates after winning gold in the Men's 50m Breaststroke Final on day five of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games at Sandwell Aquatics Centre on August 02, 2022 in Smethwick, England.
Image credit: Getty Images
Adam Peaty joked that he can now retire after he took the gold medal in the 50m breaststroke at the Commonwealth Games for the first time.
The three-time Olympic gold medallist powered his way to victory in a blistering time of 26.76 followed by Australia’s Sam Williamson and Scotland’s Ross Murdoch.
Having just returned from a broken foot, Peaty had been enduring a frustrating time in the Birmingham 2022 Games and he was accused of being ‘disrespectful’ following a TV interview after he could only finish fourth in the 100m breaststroke event on Sunday.
He reached the final in the 50m breaststroke with a second-placed finish in a time of 27.03 seconds, two one-hundredths behind William at 27.01 on Monday.
After finishing second in 2018 and 2014, the 50m breaststroke Commonwealth Games gold was the only gold missing from his collection, and he couldn’t hide his emotion when he finally topped the podium.
"I had two options this morning I either fight or don't fight. Everyone who knows me, knows I fight,” he told BBC Sport.
"That means so much to me, because what I have been through the last five years, I lost my spark towards the beginning of the week and I have it back now.
"There were a lot of emotions yesterday but a lot of people have got to understand that I reached the bottom of the bottom yesterday and to bring myself up with the crowd in my own mind and that is the result.
"That was the only one I haven't won in my career, the Commonwealth 50m and I can retire now. I don't care about the stats, tonight was about racing, who was going to get on the wall first.
"No one can really get up to the rate I get to but without the training it goes nowhere. I am looking forward to resetting and having a winter because I haven't done that since 2019.
"I am so glad I got that loss earlier in the week because these wins feel so much more alive and so much better."
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