“It’s time to get ruthless on my start!” – Adam Peaty

Adam Peaty has made the swimming world shudder since he hurtled on to the international stage in summer 2014.

There were six gold and one silver medal at the Commonwealth Games and European Championships last year.

On into 2015 and the 20-year-old made history as well as winning three gold medals at the World Championships in Kazan.

In April Adam – who is coached by Mel Marshall at City of Derby – became the first man to dip under 58 seconds when he set a new world record of 57.92secs in the 100m breaststroke.

On to Russia in August and he came away with golds in the 50m and 100m breaststroke – edging out Cameron van der Burgh both times – as well as being part of the victorious British mixed medley relay squad.

For Adam though there is more to come, the Briton identifying his start as somewhere he can make substantial gains.

In both his races with Cameron, the South African was clearly ahead before Adam overhauled him.

“I’m 20 years old, he’s 27 so he has got at least seven years experience on me on with that dive.

“But I am going to get ruthless on that start now and find new areas.

“There are lots of people to help me and Mel try and master that for next season because if I can make that perfect every time we are looking at some very fast times hopefully.

“I don’t think it’s (just) physically, it’s psychology as well.

“Sometimes I swim a 0.62 and sometimes a 0.68 so 0.6 off a start is ridiculous so I am looking to nail that each time now.”

Kazan was Adam’s first World Championships and only his third major long-course international after the 2014 Commonwealth and European Games.

However, it was noticeable that he did not tighten up during his races, a sure sign of tension which is clear in breaststroke.

How did he remain composed?

“A lot of secrets in training that me and Mel have but I am not willing to share that with the world at the moment.

“I just feel calm coming from Commonwealths, coming from the Europeans. This team we have got now is just so calm and as soon as I go tense on that 50 I go slower, I know that.

“I just like to chill out, have a few laughs, do my thing really.

“It’s only a length of the pool, it’s not exactly hard really.

“I don’t want to sound cocky but there are people with real problems out there and so I just do what I am grateful for.”

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