Adam Peaty Looks To Assemble All The Components With Eyes On The Prize For London Roar

Adam Peaty London Roar International Swim League by Mike Lewis D5D_7869

Adam Peaty: Photo Courtesy: Mike Lewis/ISL

Adam Peaty is looking at building up his own form over the coming days and weeks after London Roar enjoyed a crushing victory in their opening match at the International Swimming League.

Roar – guided by Peaty’s coach Mel Marshall – won by 217 points as they amassed 610.5 ahead of Team Iron (393.5), DC Trident (351) and Aqua Centurions (339) at the Duna Arena, Budapest.

Peaty won the 100m breaststroke on day two after finishing second over the 50 and 200 in the opening session.

Backstroke pair Maria Kameneva and Christian Diener won their respective skins, knockout races swum on a back-to-back basis with the two remaining swimmers competing in a head-to head.

Kameneva, Kira Toussaint and Marie Wattel each contributed 47.5pts to Roar’s total while Diener was the best performing male in the MVP standings with a points haul of 53.3 and second overall behind Ranomi Kromowidjojo.

It saw Roar top the overall standings after the first two matches ahead of Cali Condors (567) and last year’s winners Energy Standard (463).

Adam Peaty London Roar ISL by Mike Lewis D5D_9797

Photo Courtesy: Mike Lewis / ISL

It was Peaty’s first competition since the Edinburgh International Meet in March and came little more than a week after he was lifting PBs in the gym so there was an element of fatigue.

The weeks spent in Budapest are about competition and training and the Olympic 100m breaststroke champion is relishing putting together all the components.

He told the ISL:

“If you look at any other sporting event – NBA, Premier League – some of the teams go boom, boom, boom straight up and that’s exactly what London Roar are hopefully going to do.

“By the time we get to the semi-finals hopefully or the finals, every part of my race is strong.

“I haven’t got to worry about whether my turns are right, whether my pull-outs are right, where my dives are at, because my swimming speed is spot on and I am very happy with that.”

As for his victory over 100m where he came home ahead of Nicolo Martinenghi of the Aqua Centurions and Team Iron’s Emre Sakci, Peaty said:

“It came down to just swim.

“This is what I was built to do, I was built to race. If I see anything in my blinkers I can take them down.

“So it’s just really looking about where everyone else is and if they are rested or not and (if) I’m in training or not.

“I know (that) if I am equal on that last 25 they ain’t got a chance.”

While he freely admits he is ‘built for long-course’, Peaty is enjoying the challenge of racing against short-course specialists.

Coach Mel Marshall and Adam Peaty London Roar ISL by Mike Lewis D5D_8966

Photo Courtesy: Mike Lewis/ISL

He said:

“My short-course is weaker. My stroke is built for long-course, my stamina is built for long-course. So those guys can take it out of me on a 50 breast.

“But that’s what it’s about: okay, how do I push myself out of my own comfort zone? How do I go in there unrested, unshaved? Go against guys – some of the best in the world, some of the best times in the world – and still come out (on top)?

“Mel said ‘go out and play’. I’ll always give 110% but my body just doesn’t allow it sometimes.

“I’m just excited to see where this takes us. These are very solid times for me. If I look at a European Championships or a World Championships and I did this in a prelim, I’d be like you know what? That’s decent.”

In some ways the eight-time long-course world champion is in unfamiliar waters with the 25-year-old accustomed to taking his events into a new dimension while leaving his fellow competitors in his slipstream.

“I think I do get a bit ahead of myself. I do chase the time.

“I’m used to getting world records and so on, so the gratification isn’t there and as an athlete that relies on gratification seeing the number on the board saying that was a good swim, I’ve got to live without that for a while.

“And that’s why the best athletes in the world I believe really come through when they can live without that and in a few weeks time or in a few months time, I can hopefully get that gratification.”

Advertising: Shop At Swim360

Name*

Email*

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use