World Record holder and Paris silver medalist Adam Peaty said it has “probably [been] the worst week of my life in terms of how my body is, and that’s no exaggeration.” Peaty tested positive for COVID-19 early Monday morning.
Peaty won silver in the men’s 100 breaststroke on Sunday night. Just hours later his symptoms got worse and he tested the next morning. That test came back positive for COVID-19.
Peaty had taken five days off of competition as Great Britain used James Wilby during prelims yesterday morning for the mixed 4×100 medley relay. Peaty made his return to competition today in prelims, swimming the breaststroke leg for prelims of the men’s 4×100 medley relay.
Team GB had originally said in their release, “He is hopeful to be back in competition for the relay events later in the swimming program. As in any case of illness, the situation is being damaged appropriately, with all usual precautions being taken to keep the wider delegation healthy.”
Peaty spoke about the last week saying, “Everything’s come at once. Since Covid, it’s just every day waking up with a different thing.”
“The medical team’s been brilliant. I think it’s just a victory getting on that start block there,” Peaty continued. “Hopefully, that’ll give my body a nice little push for tomorrow.”
Peaty is an option for the final of the mixed 4×100 medley relay tonight as well as the men’s 4×100 medley relay tonight night. He split a 59.16 flying start this morning which was just off of his 58.86 that he swam off of a flat start in semifinals of the men’s 100 breast before he swam a 59.05 in the final. His split was also faster than Wilby’s 59.35 flying start during the mixed medley prelims.
Great Britain won the mixed medley relay at the 2020 Tokyo Games, setting a World Record of a 3:37.58 in the process. Peaty split a 56.78 on that relay.
Peaty spoke on the next two nights of competition, “I’m glad I’ve got a heat swim [done]. It’s my first hard stuff since I had the final on Sunday last week,?” he said. “It’s been a rough week, but hopefully we’ll find a way through the next 36 hours.”
Covid is a f*cky virus that is closer to a vascular disease than a respiratory one. Most people get lucky and don’t have lingering effects from their first infection, but some do. More have lingering effects from their fifth infection than their first. What we don’t know about the long-term effects and impact of this virus is scary.
“But it’s just a cold!”
i will miss peaty 🙁
What a tank. Wish he (or anyone else) didn’t get sick, but his schedule was a best case scenario for the hand he was dealt