Ramsay-Peaty has to settle for 50m bronze at Commonwealth Games

Adam Ramsay-Peaty says he is in a good place ahead of tonight’s 50m breaststroke final at the Commonwealth Games.

The three-time Olympic gold medal winner was emotional after he finished third in Saturday’s 100m final in Glasgow. In that race the Englishman’s reign as Britain’s breaststroke king looked to be fading after he was edged out by Australia’s Sam Williamson, with Jersey teenager Filip Nowacki claiming silver.

The 31-year-old was in tears after the race criticising the media which he insisted had written “rubbish” about his personal life.

“I know the s— I’ve been through, which is no fault of my own, to be honest,” said Ramsay-Peaty, who lost his 100m breaststroke crown two years ago at the Paris Olympics. “But it does take a toll. The choices I’ve made over the last few months have been hard ones. But I’m happy at the same time that I can get here. I didn’t quit in Paris, but I deserve more.”

He added: “You don’t know who I am and people who comment, people who see the story because you read a headline, they’ve got to look themselves in the mirror.

“You can’t hurt me. For me, it’s about my family and that does come at a cost. Being able to ignore that and being able to focus on my job – that hasn’t played a part in a sense of what we’re experiencing today.

“I’m still happy with that result. There’s some sense, but it has to, it has to stop. You know, look how many, how many athletes, how many people have to go for this until the media learn [a] lesson?”

Ramsay-Peaty looked in better form qualifying third fastest from the semi-finals, with a time of 26.82secs. That still leaves him a couple of tenths to find on the South African Michael Houlie, who was fastest in 26.61. The 100m champion Williamson also looked good as he won his semi-final in 26.79.

But Ramsay-Peaty said he was pleased with how he bounced back from Saturday’s defeat.

“It felt much better,” he said. “The last 24 hours have been a bit of a whirlwind, but I’m really happy with that. We’re on a great trajectory for tomorrow.”

He added: “People forget that I haven’t done this for two years. And even I forget that. So as you go through heats, semis and finals, it’s quite difficult if you’re not used to it. So I think that perspective is a good thing.”

Stay here to see whether Ramsay-Peaty can win his first gold since the 2022 Commonwealth Games and for all the reaction to what is sure to be an intriguing battle.