Three-time Olympic gold medallist Adam Peaty will have one eye on a packed summer schedule when he returns to the pool at the British Swimming Championships in Sheffield.
This week’s event doubles up as selection trials ahead of the forthcoming World Championships, Commonwealth Games and European Championships.
Peaty has already secured spots for each of those competitions – in Budapest, Birmingham and Rome respectively – by virtue of prior championship performances.
Yet the 27-year-old is eager to gauge current form during his first competitive action of the season.
“I’m really excited to see where I’m at in my training and preparation,” he posted on Instagram.
“It’s not a normal year in terms of championship preparation (Worlds, Commonwealths and Europeans) so I won’t be tapering/resting like I usually do.
“But it’s still a great opportunity to maximise the best output I can.”
The championships will be the first British nationals to be held since 2019 due to the disruption of the global pandemic, with around 1,500 swimmers set to participate between Tuesday and Sunday.
Peaty, who will compete in each of the three breaststroke events, claimed his fifth-consecutive 100m breaststroke title in 2019.
As the double Olympic champion and only man to have broken 57 seconds in that event, the Staffordshire-born swimmer is clear favourite to make it six triumphs in a row on the opening day, before tackling the 50m on Wednesday and 200m on Friday.
Peaty will be joined at Ponds Forge by fellow individual Olympic medallists Luke Greenbank and Duncan Scott.
Anna Hopkin, James Guy, Calum Jarvis, Matt Richards, Kathleen Dawson, Freya Anderson and James Wilby – who each claimed relay medals at Tokyo 2020 – are among the other participants.
