Adam Peaty. Photo: British Swimming

Adam Peaty’s stunning 100m breaststroke world record at the 2018 European Swimming Championships has taken him to the brink of his ambitious Project 56.

Peaty is determined to swim the distance in 56 seconds to leave a lasting legacy within the sport.

On Saturday night in front of an amazed Glasgow crowd, he came as close as he’s ever got to realising that ambition when he claimed European gold in 57.00.

The 23-year-old said: “The European Championships hold a very close place in my heart because it’s where I got my first world record.

“After the heats swim yesterday I knew I was in good shape, but for me it was a weird one as I wasn’t going out there to break a world record.

“I got to 50m and it felt so easy, then coming back, all the passion, emotion and let down from the Commonwealths pushed me down that last 50.

“Breaking this record puts me and Great Britain in a great place for two years time.

“As a nation we are looking very strong in the 100m breast and that’s a really important thing. And if I can go into the relay even faster who knows what could happen!”

Peaty has now been crowned European champion three times in a row. His win on Saturday night was his ninth European gold in the 50m pool.

He has now reduced the 100m breaststroke world record by nearly a second over the past three years, having broken it four times.

Peaty became the first man to break the 57-second barrier in 2015 when he swam 57.92 to break Cameron van der Burgh’s three-year-old world record.

Since then, he has broken his own record three times. Two of them came on back-to-back days at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, when he recorded 57.55 and 57.13.

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