Adam Peaty misses mixed 4x100m medley relay heats as he recovers from Covid-19

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Five-time Olympic medallist Adam Peaty will not take part in the mixed 4x100m medley relay heats on 2 August as he continues his recovery from Covid-19.

Team GB will begin the defence of their Olympic title in the morning of Friday, 2 August, but Peaty will miss the qualification stage after he tested positive for Covid just one day after winning silver in the 100m breaststroke.

Should Great Britain qualify, Peaty could still come into the team for the final, with teams permitted to swap athletes between heats, semi-finals and finals. The 29-year-old was part of the team that won gold in the inaugural mixed 4x100m medley relay event at Tokyo 2020.

Peaty may also compete in the men’s 4x100m medley relay – that competition begins on Saturday, 3 August, while the final of the mixed 4x100m medley relay takes place on the same day.

On Wednesday, 31 July, Peaty posted a picture on Instagram saying that he was “back in the water” after two days of bed rest. Team GB had previously released a statement that said that “all usual precautions (were) being taken to keep the wider delegation healthy”.

Peaty’s silver in the 100m breaststroke was added to by Matt Richards’ silver in the 200m freestyle and a gold for the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay team, and it is not the last medal hope that Team GB have in the pool for Paris 2024.

And Peaty will hope to be part of the relay sides as he looks to add to his three Olympic gold medals after a challenging period both inside and outside of the pool since Tokyo 2020.

Speaking after taking the silver medal in the 100m breaststroke, Peaty said that he was crying “happy tears” and was “not sad at all”.

“If you’re willing to put yourself on the line every single time, I think there’s no such thing as a loss. I’m so happy the right man won,” he explained.

“I’m not defining myself by a medal. I define myself by my heart and what it has made me feel and produce. It’s got the best out of me.

“It’s broken me, this sport, but it’s also given me life, it’s given me everything I am and I am happy to stand here with not really any answers to what that performance is but a happy heart and that is all that matters.”