European Swimming Championships in Berlin – Day 5

Adam Peaty sat on top of a lane rope and on top of the world after breaking the 50m breaststroke world record in a Carbon Flex Grey on Friday night. The 19-year-old’s coach Mel Marshall was horrified when she first set eyes on him doing freestyle at City of Derby. However, once she saw his breaststroke it was in Peaty’s words “a game-changer”. That was just five years ago. In the last month he has won two Commonwealth golds and a silver medal. Berlin beckoned and he won the 100m breaststroke title before joining the British mixed medley relay title that broke the world record. Then came Friday night and his glide into the wall after which he hoisted himself on to the lane rope and blinked in amazement as he stared at the scoreboard. Ever modest, Peaty paid tribute to Cameron van der Burgh, whose record had stood since 2009 until the Briton’s intervention. “He was one of my idols since I was a kid. “I looked on in 2012 and I was like ‘if I work that hard I can be like him’.” Fran Halsall prepared for another day in the water by luxuriating in her bath at the British team hotel. She beamed: “I had a nice day in the bath. I did some crosswords. I am turning into some kind of old lady, sat in the bath doing a crossword. It was a nice…