Peaty staying grounded in pursuit of more medals

As seasons go, you would be hard tasked to find a better one than Peaty's in 2014 as he announced himself in style on the world stage.

First came 100m breaststroke gold on his Commonwealth Games debut in Glasgow before winning four golds – including the 50m and 100m breaststroke double – at the European Championships in Berlin, breaking the world record in the 100m in the process.

Then came the World Short Course Championships, all of which means the 20-year-old will be the man everyone wants to beat at the British Championships at the London Aquatics Centre.

But with spots at this summer's World Championships in Russia up for grabs, Peaty is keen to use the added pressure to his advantage.

And he knows the pressure is on, with five-time Olympian Mark Foster recently telling TeamGB.com that he'll be the one to watch in Rio.

"I have plenty of people around me to keep me grounded, so my head's not in the clouds off the back of last year, which is good," he said.

"For me it is all about getting my head down and working hard to make a big impression at the World Championships and things are looking good to do exactly that.

"I am feeling very confident heading down to London as I am already swimming my fastest times at this stage of a year, which bodes well.

"But I am not putting too much pressure on myself. First and foremost, it is all about qualifying.

"I need a little bit of pressure to perform and I actually thrive off pressure as I like to show the world what I can really do, so that doesn't really bother me and, hopefully, it will spur me on to go even faster."

Despite still having to earn a spot on the GB team, the 20-year-old could be excused for already having one eye on Russia.

But he says he is not about to get ahead of himself, insisting there are always tweaks to be done.

"I am far from the finished article and I know there is still plenty I need to work on and improve on," he added. "My pull-outs and transitions are a lot stronger this year than last so, hopefully, that will help me go even faster this time around.

"I want to swim fast this season ahead of next year's Olympics so I will be doing all I can to ensure I bring my time down even more."

© Sportsbeat 2015