Disappointed Peaty settles for bronze in 100m breaststroke

DOHA :Adam Peaty's hopes for a confidence-boosting win in the 100m breaststroke were dashed on Monday as the Olympic champion was forced to settle for bronze behind American winner Nic Fink at the World Championships in Doha.

On the comeback trail after taking a mental health break last year, world record holder Peaty qualified fastest for the final at the Aspire Dome with a time of 58.60 seconds but was half a second slower with the title on the line.

Veteran Fink, meanwhile, bravely fended off Peaty and Italian runner-up Nicolo Martinenghi to win in 58.57.

"I think I pushed it a little too far in the first 50 (metres) but at the end it's good to be a part of (this)," said Peaty, who is aiming for a third successive gold in the event at the Paris Games.

"Definitely not an easy race to do ... Of course, we've got a long way to go."

Diogo Ribeiro won the non-Olympic men's 50m butterfly title with a time of 22.97.

Germany's Angelina Kohler won the women's 100m butterfly title in a relatively weak field missing Canadian world champion Maggie MacNeil and the Fukuoka minor medallists, Zhang Yufei and Emma McKeon.

The 23-year-old Kohler burst into tears in the pool after winning in 56.28 seconds, 0.33 seconds ahead of American silver medallist Claire Curzan.

A day after electrifying the championships with the 100m freestyle world record in the men's 4x100m relay, China's Pan Zhanle failed to reach the semi-finals of the 200m, an event he was expected to contend for medals.

The 19-year-old never got out of second gear, posting a time of 1:51.03, more than six seconds off his personal best.

Pan's surprisingly anaemic performance may be with a view to the 100m freestyle for which he will be favourite. The heats start on Wednesday.

The