Adam Peaty broke down in tears after winning bronze in the 100m breaststroke at the Commonwealth Games and appeared to reference his family feud in an emotional interview.
Emotional Bronze
The three-time Olympic champion was forced to settle for third place in his premier event, pipped by Australia's Sam Williamson and 18-year-old Filip Nowacki of Jersey. Peaty, who has taken the Ramsay name after marrying Holly Ramsay, daughter of chef Gordon Ramsay, has not publicly spoken about a rift with his family that escalated when his mother was not invited to the bride's hen do.
After the race, he said: "It's hard because I know how hard I work. I know the s**t I've been through, which is no fault of my own, but it does take its toll."
Heartfelt Confession
"I'm not crying because it's bronze instead of gold. I'm crying because I know I am better than that. I feel like I couldn’t have put any more in and that's where it hurts, because I'm like, 'What’s the point of all the metres every day, what's the point of being exhausted all the time?'"
"What's the point of having to say no to family events so you can go to training? It has to mean something and for me, it has to be human excellence and that is not excellence for me. So that's the emotion that is unfortunately coming out."
Peaty also took aim at his critics, declaring "you can't hurt me" and telling them to "do better."
Family Support
He was cheered on by his wife Holly, who is expecting the couple's first child in December. After collecting his medal, he kissed her belly and said: "She's always going to be proud of me. And as a father, it doesn't matter if you come home with gold. As long as you come home with a teddy. That's really what matters."
"But I'm never going to be afraid to show weakness, because it's so important for making stronger people, making stronger men, stronger fathers, husbands. And it's a realisation of how much I do work."
Other English Medals
England's William Ellard and Georgia Sheffield both set new Games records as they won the respective men's and women's S14 200m freestyle finals. Sheffield pipped team-mate Poppy Maskill, who took silver.
England's Ollie Morgan won a silver medal in the men's 50m backstroke final, finishing behind South Africa's Pieter Coetze. England's mixed 4x100m freestyle relay squad took silver behind Australia, with Wales in third.
