Former Olympic and world champion Adam Ramsay-Peaty has expressed his confusion as his recent run of poor form continued at the European Aquatics Championships. The 31-year-old swimmer, who previously dominated the competition with 16 consecutive gold medals between 2014 and 2020, failed to qualify for the 50m breaststroke semi-finals on Friday after finishing eighth in his heat.
Ramsay-Peaty, who set the world record of 25.95 seconds in 2017, struggled with a poor start during his heat and finished with a time of 27.34 seconds. This result placed him 20th overall, well outside the top 16 required to advance to the next round. His exit from the event follows a difficult week in Paris, where he finished fifth in the 100m breaststroke and fourth in the mixed medley relay.
Speaking to Swimmingworldmagazine.com, the athlete was blunt about his recent results. “These performances are not good enough at all,” he stated, adding that the current situation is so poor that he remains genuinely confused. He noted that while it is a very frustrating period, he remains hopeful that he and his team can identify the root cause of these issues.
The swimmer’s struggles have been evident for some time. He previously broke down in tears after securing a bronze medal in the 100m breaststroke at last month’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Following a subsequent bronze in the 50m event at those games, he remarked that “nothing makes sense.” Although his time improved to 59.10 seconds in Paris, it was insufficient to secure a podium finish.
A significant focus of his training has been his dive, which has been his main area of concern in recent months. Ramsay-Peaty has been working on this specific technical aspect with coach Lisa Bates since June, describing the past few weeks as “one of those lessons.” He suggested that the issue likely stems from how he is hitting the water and acknowledged that he must significantly change his approach.
The broader British team also faced challenges during the session. Compatriot Filip Nowacki, who achieved success in Glasgow with a 200m gold and 100m silver, finished 18th in the Paris heats. Like Ramsay-Peaty, Nowacki failed to progress to the semi-finals, capping off a disappointing day for the British contingent at the championships.
That meant he finished 20th overall, with the 16 fastest qualifying for the semi-finals later on Friday.