Peaty absent from Britain squad for world championships

LONDON : Triple Olympic champion Adam Peaty was the big absentee as Britain announced a 29-strong team on Wednesday for the world aquatics championships in Fukuoka, Japan in July.

The 28-year-old said on social media last month, when he announced he was skipping the British championships, that he wanted to focus on his mental health ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Peaty, an eight-times world champion and the world record holder in 50m and 100m breaststroke, missed the 2022 world championships in Budapest after fracturing a bone in his foot.

He said last month that he was tired and not enjoying the sport as much as before.

Britain's squad features six Olympic champions - Freya Anderson, Tom Dean, Anna Hopkin, James Guy, Matt Richards and Duncan Scott - for the July 14-30 championships.

Ben Proud, who won 50m freestyle gold last year, and 2019 4x100 medley relay gold medallist James Wilby were also included.

Luke Greenbank, the 200m backstroke silver medallist in 2022, did not make the squad after finishing third in the trials in Sheffield.