English powerhouse Adam Peaty yesterday extended his remarkable 100m breaststroke winning streak as Chad le Clos claimed a historic third consecutive butterfly title at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
Peaty, 23, the Olympic, world and European champion, completed a four-year unbeaten cycle in his signature event, but was critical of his performance in the outdoor Gold Coast pool.
Elsewhere on the third night of swimming, Canadian world record-holder Kylie Masse won a thrilling 100m backstroke final, Australia’s Cate Campbell clocked another record in winning the 50m freestyle, South African Tatjana Schoenmaker captured the 200m breaststroke and Australia won the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay in a Commonwealth Games record.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Perfectionist Peaty found fault, saying that he was not in control of his race.
World record-holder Peaty’s time of 58.84 seconds was outside the Commonwealth Games record he set in the semi-finals.
The all-action Englishman, who shattered his own world record with 57.13 seconds in winning Olympic gold at Rio two years ago, remains unconquered in the 100m breaststroke since storming to gold at Glasgow, Scotland, four years ago.
Teammate James Wilby, who won the 200m breaststroke gold on Thursday, finished strongly for second in 59.43 seconds, with South African former world record-holder Cameron van der Burgh third in 59.44 seconds.
South African four-time butterfly world champion Le Clos became the first man to win three consecutive gold medals in the same event at the Commonwealth Games with a storming victory in the 200m butterfly.
Le Clos swam a Commonwealth Games-record 1 minute, 54 seconds for his second gold of the meet, his sixth career Commonwealth win and 14th medal overall.
Only Australians Leisel Jones (100m/200m breaststroke) and Petria Thomas (100m butterfly) have won three consecutive golds in the same event at the Commonwealth Games.
Le Clos, who famously toppled US Olympic legend Michael Phelps in the 200m butterfly at the 2012 London Olympics, also won the grueling event at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi and Glasgow.
“That was my fastest ever 150 split and then I knew the race was over,” said Le Clos, who later backed up to beat Australian Olympic champion Kyle Chalmers in the 100m freestyle semi-final.
Le Clos won the 50m fly on Friday, but his bid to win five more medals and become the all-time leading Games medalist fizzled out when he missed the podium in the 200m freestyle and the 4x100m freestyle.
Campbell swam the third-fastest time in history to win the 50m freestyle in a Commonwealth Games-record 23.78 seconds, edging out her sister Bronte and Canada’s Taylor Ruck, who dead-heated for second.
It has been a barnstorming meet for Campbell, anchoring her team to a world record in the 4x100m freestyle relay.
Canadian world record-holder Masse out-touched Australian rival Emily Seebohm by three-hundredths of a second to win a pulsating 100m backstroke final in a Commonwealth Games-record 58.63 seconds.
“I knew she was going to be right there,” Masse said of her rivalry with Seebohm. “I had no idea how close she was at the end until I got out of the pool and I looked up at the times.”
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