In the end, Adam Peaty faced a nail-biting finish with just two-hundredths of a second separating him from the third gold medal he has pursued over the last 14 months. A minuscule margin that felt insignificant upon contact, yet proved substantial enough. Peaty initially thought he had claimed victory against his Chinese rival, Qin Haiyang, who swam alongside him. However, as Peaty surged 25m from the finish, he realized he was unexpectedly in a race against Nic Fink of the USA and Italy’s Nicolò Martinenghi, who was swimming far off in lane seven.
Ultimately, Martinenghi edged him out, marking the first time anyone has beaten Peaty in a solo Olympic event. Peaty accepted the outcome graciously; upon seeing the results displayed on the big screen, he approached Martinenghi in lane seven and embraced him. “Enjoy it,” he said, recognizing the significance of celebrating the highs in this sport.
When the competitors entered the pool area, the unexpected outcome was palpable. Some greeted the audience energetically, while others expressed their anticipation through gestures of excitement and prayer.
Peaty, now 29, remained focused, bypassing distractions as he proceeded directly to the starting blocks, preparing for the competition ahead.
Victory would have made him only the third swimmer in history, following Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky, to secure gold in the same event at three consecutive Olympics.
However, hidden beneath his composed demeanor was an unfamiliar sense of doubt. That morning, he woke up with a sore throat—a condition he refused to use as an excuse. He was acutely aware that following his challenges over the years with personal struggles such as alcoholism and depression, he lacked the strength he once possessed.
Peaty’s time of 59.05 seconds fell short of his former capabilities and ranked well outside the top 50 times of his career. He had performed significantly better at the British trials in April, and had he matched that performance, he would have easily won.
After the race, he expressed to the media his challenges in reaching the starting line and held back tears while reflecting, stating he felt he couldn’t have done more.
Despite the disappointment, he shared a warm moment as he walked off the podium, wearing his silver medal, and embraced his young son, George.
The truth is, the intensity of his previous success took a toll on Peaty and contributed to the breakdown he endured after the Tokyo Olympics.
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If Peaty’s mother has her way, his upcoming two relays will mark his final appearances in competition, as she wishes for him to experience “some kind of normality” after everything. Perhaps this silver medal, earned amidst trials, is a fair exchange for peace of mind after all he has endured over the past decade.
The truth is, swimming can be an unforgiving sport. Just ask Max Litchfield, who competed in the 400m individual medley an hour before Peaty took the stage.
Litchfield, now 30, faced his third Olympics, his third final, and yet again landed in fourth place. His journey has seen him miss the podium by a hair’s breadth: a second and a half off bronze in 2016, two-tenths in 2020, and now, two-tenths once more—barely longer than a blink.
Like Peaty, Litchfield has also faced significant struggles. After a personal crisis that forced him to miss a world championship, which resulted in funding cuts, he battled his way back to the final again, only to finish fourth yet again. Suddenly, Peaty’s silver doesn’t appear so disheartening.
For Litchfield, like the others in his race, the competition was really against the French sensation Léon Marchand. Marchand was far ahead that his primary rival was the world record he set the year prior. Although he didn’t break it this time, his time of 4 minutes and 2.5 seconds effortlessly surpassed the Olympic record previously held by Michael Phelps in 2008, reminiscent of the dominance Peaty once exhibited during more prosperous times—before happiness eluded him.
