Peaty qualifies fastest in bid for third straight gold

Adam Peaty qualified fastest for Sunday’s last arsenic he chases a sensational 3rd consecutive 100m breaststroke Olympic golden successful Paris.

The 29-year-old Briton, aiming to go nan 2nd man aft nan awesome American Michael Phelps to triumph nan aforesaid individual arena astatine 3 Games successful a row, won his semi-final successful 58.86 seconds.

That was 0.07secs quicker than his large rival China’s Qin Haiyang, who won nan 2nd semi-final.

The much-anticipated last is astatine 20:44 BST connected Sunday evening.

"There's a batch to activity connected still technically. It is really reliable connected that backmost end," Peaty told nan BBC.

"I cognize this section has been a spot slower, each respect due. This is nan measurement nan Olympics work. It ain't astir a clip here, it is astir nan races."

Elsewhere, Team GB missed retired connected a badge successful nan 4x100m freestyle relays arsenic nan men vanished 5th and nan women seventh while Australia’s Ariarne Titmus won a high-class 400m freestyle final.

Peaty cruised to his erstwhile 2 Olympic golds, successful 2016 and 2021, but has struggled pinch wounded and his intelligence wellness since nan past Games successful Tokyo.

He took a break from nan athletics and considered stopping wholly and successful his absence astatine past year’s World Championships Qin emerged arsenic a superior rival.

Qin swam a 57.69-second 100m past year, making him nan second-fastest of each clip down Peaty and nan quickest of anyone since Tokyo - but Peaty's 57.94 astatine nan British tests signalled a return to form.

Although he was good adrift of that clip astatine an electrical La Defense Arena successful Paris, he was nan much comfortable of nan 2 successful nan semi-finals and looked contented arsenic he nodded towards nan large surface aft beating his rivals.

Britain’s James Wilby was 5th successful Peaty's title and missed retired connected nan final.

In nan relays, nan antheral British quartet qualified for nan last third-fastest but were ne'er really successful contention arsenic nan United States cruised to gold, Australia took metallic and Italy bronze.

Matt Richards, Tom Dean and Duncan Scott, who made up nan quartet on pinch Jacob Whittle, will beryllium favourites to take sides their 4x200m freestyle title connected Tuesday.

Australia outclassed nan US to triumph golden successful nan women's 4x100m freestyle.

That was Australia's 2nd golden of nan nighttime aft Titmus earlier denied American Katie Ledecky an eighth Olympic gold, which would person equalled nan grounds for a female swimmer.

Canada's 17-year-old sensation Summer McIntosh took metallic and Ledecky bronze.