Adam Peaty broke down in tears after a shock defeat in the 100 metres breaststroke – but admitted: ‘In my heart I’ve already won

Adam Peaty broke down in tears after a shock defeat in the 100 meters breaststroke – but admitted: ‘In my heart, I’ve already won.’

The British swimming superstar fell agonizingly short in his bid to win his third successive Olympic title, with Italian underdog Nicolo Martinenghi beating him by just 0.02sec.

Peaty shared the silver with American world champion Nic Fink after they both clocked 59.05sec, while his Chinese rival Haiyang Qin was back in seventh.

The 29-year-old then choked up in interviews as he recalled just how hard it has been for him to even make it to Paris, having taken time out of the sport last year after suffering depression.

‘It’s been a very long way back,’ said Peaty. ‘I gave it my absolute all there. It doesn’t matter what the time says, or the result, because in my heart I have already won.

‘I’m not crying because I’ve come second. I am crying because it just took so much to get here. These are happy tears because I have given it my absolute best every single day and I can’t be upset about that.

‘It’s just incredibly hard. To win it once, and to win it again, and to try and win it again.

‘Everything I have done to this point has happened for a reason, and I am so happy I can race the best in the world and come second.

‘I am almost an older man here now. I can’t have that relentless pursuit every single day without a sacrifice of some sort.

‘It comes in many ways, my timing, my energy, my relationships. It is very hard to compete with the younger ones, but I am so happy with that because in my heart I couldn't have done more.’

Peaty had qualified fastest for the final but got a slow start and trailed Qin at the halfway mark. But Martinenghi – who won the bronze behind Peaty at Tokyo three years ago – came roaring back in the final 50m to beat the Brit by a fingernail.

‘I woke up this morning with something on my neck,’ added Peaty - who was inches away from becoming just the second man after Michael Phelps to win the same swimming event at three Olympics.

‘But these are not excuses, these are just things athletes have to go through to find a way.

‘To see Martinenghi win makes me so happy for him. I have raced him for a long time and it couldn’t happen to a nicer guy. I’ve still got six Olympic medals.’

Peaty was later seen greeting partner Holly Ramsay and son George in the stands, with the 29-year-old again breaking down in tears after giving his son an emotional hug.

Despite the near miss, Peaty's performance caps a huge turnaround for the legendary athlete, just over a year since he took a break from swimming for mental health reasons.

Having won gold in the 100m breaststroke in 2016 and 2020 - along with the 4x100m mixed medley relay in Tokyo - Peaty continued to enjoy a formidable record at the top of the sport, remaining unbeaten for eight years between 2014 and 2022.