Adam Peaty has hailed Team GB’s medical team following the ‘worst week’ of his life as he looks to add another Olympic medal to his collection.
The 29-year-old revealed he was suffering from a sore throat before and during his 100m breaststroke final last week which saw him scoop the silver.
And the following morning, it was confirmed that the swimming sensation tested positive for Covid-19.
After two days of resting in bed, he returned to the pool on Wednesday, before competing in the men’s 4x100m medley relay heat earlier on Saturday.
With a leg time of 59.16 seconds – just 0.11 seconds slower than his silver medal swim last Sunday – Peaty helped Team GB qualify for Sunday night’s final.
The British quartet of Peaty, Matt Richards, Joe Litchfield and Oliver Morgan finished second in their heat with a time of 3:32.13 seconds – the fifth quickest qualifying time.
Speaking after the race, Peaty, who has also been bugged down by an ear infection, also conceded that he will not be at 100 per cent for the remainder of the Paris Games.
He said: “It’s been a rough, rough week but hopefully we’ll find our way through the next 36 hours.
“[It’s] probably [been] the worst week of my life in terms of how my body is – and that is no exaggeration.
“Everything’s come at once and since Covid, I’ve been waking up every day with a different thing.
“The medical team has been brilliant and it’s just a victory getting on that starting block.
“Now hopefully, that will give my body a nice, little push for tomorrow.”
He added: “I’m glad I’ve got a heat swim. It’s my first hard stuff since the final on Sunday last week.
“If I’m not well, I’m not well. I’ve been brought up in the system by [coach] Mel [Marshall] that if you’re not well, you still go.
“I’ve only got two days left. I’m not going to be 100 per cent, I know that, but I’ll give my best effort and that will hopefully give me a nice time.”
And there remains a chance that Peaty could be involved in the mixed 4x100m medley final on Saturday night.
The six-time Olympic medallist was part of the Team GB team that won the gold in the inaugural event at Tokyo 2020.
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News Summary:
- Team GB star Adam Peaty opens up on the ‘worst week of his life’ at Paris Olympics
- Check all news and articles from the latest Football updates.