‘Back a lion into a corner, they’re going to bite’ – Adam Peaty on bouncing back

Adam Peaty has wondered whether his enthusiasm for swimming is on the wane but issued a warning to anyone writing him off, saying: “You back a lion into a corner, they’re going to bite.”

Hours after a shock fourth-place finish in the men’s 100 metres breaststroke final at the Commonwealth Games, ending an unbeaten eight-year record in his favourite event, Peaty was back in the pool.

The 27-year-old was joint fastest in the morning heats of the 50m discipline but a semi-final time of 27.03 seconds was two hundredths of a second slower than Australia’s Sam Williamson in the evening.

Peaty is still digesting what happened on Sunday night and while he acknowledged he may have expected too much on his comeback from a broken foot, he openly questioned whether his desire remains the same.

But the triple Olympic champion and world record holder in the 50m and 100m breaststroke said: “You back a lion into a corner, they’re going to bite. I’m backed into a corner now but I’m OK with that.

“It’s just as important in an athlete’s career to have these moments. You think ‘do I want to be here? Do I love the sport as much as I did?’. I don’t know. Those questions, I have to address.

“I haven’t really had a winter block where I’ve reset. I haven’t even had chance to know where I’m going, it’s almost like you get in a car without a destination.

“I’ve only been in the water for four weeks, I put way too much expectation on myself and now I’m still debriefing and will be over the next three or four weeks. Obviously it was a devastating night for me.”

You back a lion into a corner, they're going to bite. I'm backed into a corner now but I'm OK with that- Adam Peaty

Peaty expressed some irritation with the waiting time on the dive board