Adam Peaty raced to redemption at the Commonwealth Games he had said he was “not bothered” about.
On an evening of raw emotion in the west Midlands, Britain’s greatest swimmer salvaged his morale from the depths of Sunday night's failure to even medal in the 100 metres.
It could not take away all the pain of giving up his unbeaten record in the event he calls his own. But victory in the 50m brought the breaststroke legend the one gold medal missing from his collection and pulled him back from the edge of darkness.
“After the 100m I was at the lowest of the low,” Peaty said. “I had something which was almost guaranteed taken away from me. I took it for granted.
“I didn’t know what I was doing. I didn’t have the hunger, I felt lost. I just went down with my heart and soul. It took until today to find that.”
As world record holder he was favourite to make amends over the shorter distance but given the power failure that left him shell-shocked and off the podium on the weekend, all bets were off.
He had spent that night staring at the ceiling, trying to work out how to piece back together his fractured aura.
And despite coming through two races unscathed the next day ended it back in the doghouse, slammed as ‘arrogant’ and ‘disrespectfult’ on social media for saying he was “not bothered” about the Commonwealth Games.
That was frustration talking and given how hard he had worked to get back from a broken foot in time compete at a home Games an apology should not have been necessary.
He gave one just the same then headed to the pool, signing autographs and posing for photos on arrival, before running away with the race in 26.76 seconds.
In third place was Scotland’s Ross Murdoch and Peaty waited for him poolside after to repay a debt of thanks.
“I’d said to Ross after the 100 that I didn’t want to do the 50,” said Peaty, whose gold followed one for team mate Brodie Williams in the 200m backstroke. “He said I’d regret it for years after, for the rest of my life.
“It’s been a very tough Games but today I came from literally the lowest point, I just reverted to who I am.
“My coach Mel (Marshall) said this morning: ‘today you wake up and you play’. I replied: ‘no, today I fight’. Because sometimes playing is not enough'.”
Silver medals followed for Laura Stephens in 200m butterfly and James Guy in 100m breaststroke.
But nothing could rival Peaty's moment, nor the warning that followed it.
"I don’t feel like partying, I feel like working," he said. "And that's a very dangerous territory for me - and for everyone else."
