UTTOXETER speedster Adam Peaty has won his first gold medal at a World Championships in Russian Federation in the 100m breastroke.
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South Africa’s Olympic champion Cameron Van Der Burgh took the race out to turn 0.41 seconds clear at the half-way stage but it was Peaty who came back strongest to take the touch just 0.07 seconds ahead of the South African.
Peaty’s fellow Briton Ross Murduch claimed bronze with a time of 59.09 seconds.
The duo ended a see-saw day in the 100m breaststroke with Van der Burgh first throwing down the gauntlet during the heats when he posted the fastest time in the morning of 58.59.
“I finished the end of last year injured and since then I have been able to get that right by taking some time off”.
“Twenty-five metres out he was still in front, so I was a bit sceptical, but I remembered what I had trained for was moments like this and I came out on top – thankfully”.
All eyes were on the reigning European and Commonwealth champion after Peaty had set a new world record at April’s British Championships – winning the title in 57.92 seconds.
Peaty is world record holder over 50m and 100m breaststroke.
The men’s 100 breaststroke was a huge event for the British World Championship Team, claiming two of the three spots on the podium.
“I’m the fastest I’ve ever been”.
Hungary’s “Iron Lady” Katinka Hosszu broke the women’s 200m IM record on Monday as she retained her crown at the world swimming championships in Kazan.
Britain enjoyed further medal success when 19-year-old Siobhan-Maria O’Connor took 200m individual medley bronze. “We knew it was going to be a close race”.
His decision to race the 200m, an Olympic event a year from the Rio de Janeiro games, proves he has fallen back in love with the sport after a hard period – both in and out of the pool.
Nicholas Santos of Brazil finished second in 23.09.
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Also advancing to the final on Tuesday night was Missy Franklin of the United States and teammate Kathleen Baker, who moved into the semis after Hosszu withdrew.
