Sports14 August, 20262 min read
Adam Ramsay-Peaty Crashes Out at European Championships in Paris After Poor 50m Breaststroke Heats
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Ramsay-Peaty finished 20th in the 50m breaststroke heats in Paris (27.34s). He is the world record holder for 50m breaststroke but did not advance.
Peaty crashes in Paris
Adam Ramsay-Peaty, the world record holder in the 50m breaststroke, finished 20th overall at the European Championships in Paris on Friday after clocking 27.34 seconds in the heats. The Briton came eighth in his heat, and Reuters said he trailed home 20th while expressing frustration and confusion over his continuing poor form.
Reuters reported that his world record, set in July 2017, stands at 25.95, while Italian Nicolo Martinenghi won the heat in 26.65 and Simone Cerasuolo posted the fastest overall time at 26.20. The BBC said Ramsay-Peaty’s unbeaten European run ended in Paris after he came eighth in his 50m breaststroke heat and missed the semi-finals, with the 16 fastest qualifying later on Friday.
“So bad I’m confused”
Ramsay-Peaty told Reuters, "These performances are not good enough at all. Even now I'm like it's so bad that I'm confused," after his early exit from the 50m breaststroke.
The BBC also quoted him saying, "It's very frustrating, but I'm hoping we can figure it out," as he tried to explain what went wrong in the heat.
The Independent described his reaction as desperation for the season to end, noting he finished eighth out of 10 in his heat after a disastrous start left him with too much to do to catch his rivals.
The Independent added that he had been working on reconstructing his start with new coach Lisa Bates, and it said the change left him severely behind as he slumped to the result in Paris.
What comes next
Ramsay-Peaty’s European exit came after a run of results that included bronze at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow last month, and The Independent said he was expected to return to the pool on Sunday for the 4x100m medley relay. The BBC said he had been working on his dive with coach Lisa Bates since June and described the past few weeks as "one of those lessons" after his 50m breaststroke miss.
The Independent reported that Ramsay-Peaty’s slowest time ever in an international race over 50m came in Paris with 27.34 seconds, despite his world record of 25.95 set nearly a decade ago. Looking ahead, Reuters said the triple Olympic gold medallist, 31, was frustrated and confused by his continuing poor form, while the BBC noted his unbeaten European run ended in Paris this week.