Adam Peaty got on the blocks for only his second competition since retaining his Olympic title to go 59.58 and head the 100 breaststroke heats at the British Championships.
We had to wait until the final race of the session to see Peaty who will become the first man to win four successive world doubles on a single stroke or medley should he once more claim the 50/100br – as he did in 2015/2017/2019 – at the World Championships in Budapest.
The presence of the eight-time world champion – who was preselected for worlds – ensured the stands at Ponds Forge, Sheffield, remained full until the last seconds of the opening session and he touched in 59.55 which was later rounded up to 59.58.
Peaty’s only competition since Tokyo was the FFN Golden Tour in Marseille last month where he won the 50 and 100br as well as taking fourth over 200.
“It’s a bit weird actually,” he told Swimming World.
“Coming to trials obviously a very different year, very different preparation.
“I know where I’m at, I know what I’ve got to do. But yeah, just having a bit of fun.”
James Wilby went 59.88 in the penultimate heat with the likes of Ross Murdoch and Craig Benson also jostling in tonight’s final.
Peaty added:
“It’s all about racing now. I got ill at Edinburgh – quite ill actually – so I couldn’t race there and missed a lot of experience there.
“But that is the year we’re in: sometimes you have just got to get on with it and race and forget about the stats, forget about the numbers and just have a bit of fun racing.”
Abbie Wood and Freya Anderson look set for a fine old tussle in the 200 free with the Loughborough swimmer heading qualification in 1:58:80 to 1:58.88.
Dan Jervis has been selected to the worlds team in the 1500 free following his fifth place in Tokyo and he topped the 400 free field by almost three seconds in 3:50.33.
The women’s 400IM has a very different look to it this year following the retirements of Hannah Miley and Aimee Willmott.
Willmott, who was seventh in Tokyo in the final race of her career, is commentating this week at Ponds Forge, watched on as Amber Keegan set the fastest time of 4:48.04 in her hometown pool.
The meet kicked off with the women’s 50 breaststroke headed by Imogen Clark who was the only woman to crack 31secs in 30.77.
Scott Gibson led the way in the first men’s event – the 50 back – in a Scottish record of 25.38 ahead of Joe Litchfield (25.54).
Of note was the appearance of Matt Clay, the 2006 Commonwealth champion and European bronze medallist, with the 39-year-old 14th in 26.04