| 2019 World Aquatics Championships |
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| Dates: 12-28 July Venue: Gwangju, South Korea |
| Coverage: Highlights on BBC Two, updates on BBC R5L Sports Extra, and reports on the BBC Sport website and app. |
British swimmer Adam Peaty has become the first man to swim 100m breaststroke in under 57 seconds – breaking his own world record with a time of 56.88.
The 24-year-old has dominated both the 100m and 50m in recent years, setting the 14 best times in the 100m breaststroke.
Peaty’s latest fastest time came in the semi-finals of the World Championships in South Korea.
“There’s no other word except for ‘incredible’,” he said.
He is now unbeaten in five years over the distance in major competitions.
“Obviously I’ve been chasing that for three years now, ever since I touched that wall in Rio [in 2016] I was like, I could go faster,” Peaty added.
The Olympic champion eclipsed his own record by just over two-tenths of a second and won comfortably in the second men’s semi-final on day one in Gwangju.
Compatriot James Wilby and Japan’s Yasuhiro Koseki finished almost two seconds behind Peaty, with China’s Yan Zibei winning the first semi-final in 58.67 to qualify second behind Peaty for Monday’s final.
Peaty previously claimed he could break his own 100m world record in South Korea, calling it the “magic 57-second barrier”.
“I could blow it away, get near it or be miles off it – but it’s looking good,” Peaty told BBC Sport.
He recently revealed he practises “active meditation” to aid his mental health after suffering a dip following his gold-medal winning performance in the 100m breaststroke at Rio 2016 and has since backed mental health campaigns.
Peaty will attempt to retain his Olympic title in the 100m breaststroke at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
