Adam Peaty is convinced the morning starts for swimming finals are contributing to uncertainty in the pool at Tokyo 2020 and hopes defending his Olympic title sparks a gold rush for TeamGB.
Organisers have scheduled swimming finals to take place earlier in the day in the Japanese capital, with the heats being held in the evening.
There have been some notable shocks already, with home favourite Daiya Seto failing to make it out of the heats in the men's 400 metres individual medley, while Tunisian teenager Ahmed Hafnaoui earned an upset win from lane eight in the final of the 400m freestyle.
Coming into the Games, there was talk of whether Peaty could beat his own astonishing world record of 56.88 seconds in the 100m breaststroke.
While unable to do so, Peaty still dominated the competition, winning Monday's final in a time of 57.13, the fifth fastest of all time.
For 26-year-old Peaty, ensuring he got the job done was the all-encompassing motivator given the way others have struggled.
"To be honest, I've never known swimming like this before," Peaty told a roundtable of journalists after winning gold in Tokyo.
"Normally you've got a solid one-two or maybe three if you can call it. You can't really predict it, in the 400 free there was a Tunisian guy [Hafnaoui] who won it in lane eight.
"You can't predict that, so I think it is something to do with the morning finals and it's how the athletes adapt to that. I think it was the same in Beijing.
"Sport is changing and the way we adapt, we train, and focus on mind and body and how we have to balance those.
"I mean I'm fed up of talking about COVID but it's given us a chance to sort of really think differently about that and there's been a few breakout performances from COVID.
"Would the medal table look very different last year? We don't know and we'll never know, but yeah it's definitely different."
Peaty, who became a father within the last year, was very open about the pressures he has been through in recent times.
Asked about the contributing factors to that pressure, Peaty said: "I mean put it simply we've seen over these two days, maybe three days, which is a lot of unexpected performances.
"A lot of people who should be going in here defending and winning medals are kicked out, especially in swimming we had Daiya Seto who is Japanese in the 400IM, he didn't make the final.
"These Games are very, very different, and that's how we talk about pressure now. Mel [Marshall – Peaty's coach] said last night and a few of the other coaches have too, it's not about the times here, no one cares about the times, it's about the race, who wants it more in that last 20 metres.
"It made me think completely differently, that every single championships I chase times because that's kind of validation for my training, I've trained really well this season.
"But it doesn't matter here, it's about the race, getting on that wall first, but also taking in every single trip and every single moment I can for these Olympics and hopefully inspiring as many people as I can while doing it."
It was five years ago in Rio where Peaty won TeamGB's first gold of the Games, acting as the springboard for a hugely successful Olympics whereby Great Britain won 27 golds and finished second in the medal table.
His success in Tokyo was also TeamGB's first and was quickly followed by triumphs for Tom Daley and Matty Lee in the men's 10m synchronised diving, while Tom Pidcock won the men's cross-country in mountain biking.
"I literally caught it, I caught Tom and Matt on the last dive and it was anti-climactic for me because I don't know how many rounds there are in diving – and I saw them dive, and I saw the Chinese dive because I think they were the last to go and I saw Tom celebrating and I thought 'oh my God they must have won' and yeah that's the beauty," added Peaty, who became the first British swimmer to defend an Olympic title.
"I said that it could be a catalyst, not that it's down to me, those athletes are amazing. But it shows you when we come together as a team and show that kind of community spirit anything is possible.
"We've got three golds, who knows what the rest is going to bring, what the rest of the week is going to bring.
"I know Duncan Scott is up in the morning on the 200 free and he's a very strong candidate for gold there. Hopefully we've got it rolling now and we'll see the gold rush, eh?"
Adam Peaty insists he arrives in Paris ready to "attack" a third-straight Olympic triumph in the 100m breaststroke
Peaty, who is a 16-time European Champion, won his first gold medal for Team GB in 2016, the first by a British male in 24 years, and has held the title ever since.
He became the first British swimmer ever to retain an Olympic title in Tokyo, and is eyeing a hat-trick of titles.
The 29-year-old also holds the world records in both the 50m and 100m breaststroke, yet getting to the Paris Olympics was far from straightforward.
From 2014 to 2022, Peaty was unstoppable, breaking the 100m record on five occasions while also claiming several world, European and Commonwealth titles.
But with the world at his feet, things came crashing down. In fact, was it not for this Olympics, he may never have returned to the pool.
“If it wasn’t for the Olympics I don’t think I’d be still swimming,” Peaty told Eurosport. “I’m going to attack for this title, not defend.
“I think I’ve cracked the code of balance, but also being able to train really hard for very long periods of time, knowing when I burn out or I’m pushing too hard, and listening to my team at the same time.
“So I think this is my favourite time to train but I also had to take three or four months off from the sport completely because I burned out.
“It cost me that kind of training period, but without that I would have just done the same old stuff and probably wouldn’t have even made it to the Olympics or the Olympic qualifiers, because I’d have completely burned out from the sport.
“People see the end result, they’ll see you race or compete at the end of the day, but they won’t see the years and years and years of hard mornings, hard evenings, thousands of metres, gym sessions in the freezing cold.
“People don’t see that stuff, they only see the 1%, if that. It’s 0.1%.”
But in Peaty's absence, a new force has taken the pool by storm, with China’s Qin Haiyang establishing himself as the dominant force.
Haiyang won the 50m, 100m and 200m breaststroke at the 2023 World Championships, becoming the second-fastest man in 100m history behind Peaty.
Peaty returned to claim bronze at the World Championships this year and then won the British trials in April in a time of 57.94s.
“I’ve been given a gift that I put myself in extreme pain for a very long time and quite enjoy it,” he continued. “Not many people can do that.
“I enjoy the hard work because it keeps me busy. It has to be hard all the time.
“That’s the most powerful thing. You don’t do it for the Olympic glory, you don’t do it for the medals, you do it to recognise the gift that you’ve been given.
“If I know I’ve worked the hardest and I get to the start line at the Olympics and I couldn’t have done anything more that gives me peace, because win or lose you’ll be happy because you’ve enjoyed the journey.”
Haitian swimmer Alex Grand'Pierre gushes over opening ceremony outfit for 2024 Paris Olympics
Haitian swimmer Alex Grand'Pierre believes his Olympic team will be the best-dressed at tonight's Opening Ceremony for the 2024 Paris Olympics after receiving his stunning outfit, designed by celebrated Italian designer Stella Jean. Known for her vibrant and culturally rich creations, Stella Jean, who has partial Haitian heritage, has crafted an ensemble that has left Grand'Pierre and his teammates in awe.
In an Instagram reel, Grand'Pierre revealed the colourful outfit, which includes pants inspired by Haitian artwork titled "The Passage," a matching scarf, and black and white shoes. Overwhelmed with excitement, he exclaimed, "I think we might win Best Dressed."
Addressing Stella Jean directly in his post, Grand'Pierre said, "You knocked it out of the park! I am so excited to wear this outfit. Actually seeing it in person and knowing that I am going to be wearing it tomorrow (Friday), I'm super, super excited. My first Olympics, but to be wearing this, it feels super special, so thank you for your incredible design."
Jean, renowned for her work that often reflects her diverse heritage, will personally dress the Haitian athletes competing in the games. Her designs are expected to capture the attention of spectators and fellow athletes alike, showcasing the rich cultural tapestry of Haiti.
A senior at Bowdoin College, Grand'Pierre is a multi-time New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) champion, an NCAA Division III All-American, and a Haitian record holder.
He qualified for the Paris Games in the 100m breaststroke following a first-place finish (1:02.39) at the Central American and Caribbean Swimming Championships (CCCAN) in June. His event's competition begins on July 27th at the Paris Aquatics Centre.
Grand'Pierre follows in the footsteps of his older sisters, Naomy (2016 Rio Games) and Emilie (2020 Tokyo Games). Naomy is now the coach for the Haitian swim team.
The opening ceremony is set to get underway just after noon (Jamaica time); 1 pm EST.
Daley and Glover confirmed as Team GB flagbearers at Paris Olympics
Tom Daley and Helen Glover have been confirmed as Team GB's flagbearers for Friday's opening ceremony at the Paris Olympics.
Daley is set to become the first British diver to compete in five Games, having come out of retirement to compete in Tokyo three years ago.
The four-time Olympic medallist is the defending champion in the men’s 10-metre synchronised diving event and will defend his title alongside team-mate Noah Williams.
Glover won the coxless pairs gold in both London and Rio and has come out of retirement at 38 to compete in her fourth Olympic Games.
“My dad would not have ever believed I would be a flag bearer one day,” Daley said.
“He always considered flag bearers to be Olympic icons and legends. I think he would be so incredibly proud of me being a flag bearer of Team GB.”
An Olympian at the age of 14 in Beijing, Daley won gold alongside Matty Lee in Tokyo to add to three bronze medals he has achieved in individual and synchronised 10-metre events.
“This Olympics is something I would consider to be a bonus Olympics," said Daley.
"This Olympics has been about enjoying it, embracing every moment and taking everything in as much as I can. To be flagbearer too is just the icing on the cake."
Glover will compete in Paris as part of the women’s four.
She became the first mother to row for Great Britain at the Olympics when she finished fourth alongside Polly Swann in the women's pairs in Tokyo four years ago.
“I just love the Olympics and have always loved what it stood for. But I still pinch myself that I am an Olympian, let alone doing something that I just saw as going down in history.
“To be flag bearer for a nation, it’s an honour. You can work hard to become an Olympian but this is bestowed upon me by somebody else who has seen that hard work. That just means so much.”
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