Peaty Returns To British Racing Waters At The Manchester International Swim Meet

Adam Peaty: Photo Courtesy: Mine Kasapoglu / ISL

Olympic champion Adam Peaty spearheads the first day of the Manchester International Swim Meet when elite competition gets under way in British waters for the first time in nearly a year on Friday.

Peaty will compete in a long-course 100m breaststroke for the first time since the Edinburgh International Swim Meet last March shortly before the Olympics in Tokyo were postponed in light of the pandemic.

The eight-time world champion stopped the clock at 58.13 that day – a time only he has ever bettered – but there are no indications as to what form or condition the athletes are in.

The event – which is running from Friday 12 to Sunday 14 February at the Manchester Aquatics Centre – will provide key racing practice for athletes looking to qualify for the Olympic and Paralympic Games later this year.

Freya Anderson: Photo Courtesy: MIKE LEWIS / ISL

As well as Peaty, the three-day meet will feature the likes of Freya Anderson, James Wilby, Luke Greenbank, James Guy and Anna Hopkin.

There will also be a host of medallists from the 2019 World Para-Swimming Championships – including Maisie Summers-Newton, Jordan Catchpole and Hannah Russell.

Peaty, Greenbank and Wilby have all been pre-selected to Team GB for Tokyo but the other member of that quartet Duncan Scott will not be competing in Manchester because of covid measures implemented in Scotland and England.

Aimee Wilmott, Hannah Miley and Ross Murdoch are among other Scottish-based swimmers who will not be competing.

Start lists had not been published at the time of writing but Peaty’s return to long-course action will likely see him face Wilby who claimed silver over 100br behind the world record-holder as the pair claimed the first British one-two at a World Championships in Gwangju in 2019.

Another highlight on day one will be the women’s MC 400 freestyle which could feature Summers-Newton, Zara Mullooly and five-time Paralympic champion Ellie Simmonds.

Maisie Summers-Newton: Photo Courtesy: British Swimming

On day two, the men’s 200m butterfly could be one to watch if Guy, Max Litchfield and British junior record holder Ed Mildred all face off, while the Women’s 100m Freestyle showpiece is among the final races of the weekend and could throw up a fascinating contest between Anderson and Hopkin.

Only those athletes on the government-approved Elite Athlete Return to Training lists are permitted to compete, with the competition run under the corresponding DCMS guidelines.

Given the current lockdown in England, only those athletes on the government approved Elite Athlete Return to Training lists are permitted to compete, with the competition run under the corresponding DCMS guidelines.

Everyone involved in the meet will be subject to strict social distancing policies, including a robust testing process, and those involved will confine themselves to the meet hotel and only use private transportation to and from the Manchester Aquatic Centre.

No spectators will be allowed into the facility.

Morning heats start at 9.30am with the finals getting under way from 5.30pm. The event will be livestreamed through the British Swimming YouTube channel.

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