Adam Peaty looking to get quicker despite strong World Championships performance

Adam Peaty surprised even himself with his performances at the World Championships in Budapest, but vowed to get even faster.

Peaty, the Olympic 100 metres breaststroke champion, took his personal tally to five world titles with two golds and a silver medal at the Duna Arena.

Peaty won world gold in the 50m and 100m breaststroke for a second time and was in the Great Britain quartet which was second in the 4x100m medley relay on Sunday.

The 22-year-old Uttoxeter swimmer has the 11 fastest times in history over 100m and the six quickest in the non-Olympic 50m event and astounded with the margin of his victories.

“I keep surprising myself and surprising myself,” said Peaty, who won Britain’s first medal with 100m gold at the Rio Olympics after three golds at the 2015 World Championships in Kazan, Russia.

“Each year I’m going to continue, hopefully, to get faster and faster.”

Britain finished with seven medals – four gold, one silver and two bronze – to place second to the United States on the medal table.

British Swimming head coach Bill Furniss reflected on a successful championships, paying particular tribute to team talisman Peaty.

Furniss, who coached two-time Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington, said: “He deserves all the plaudits he gets and the success he gets.

“He’s a gentleman, he’s humble. At the same time he’s a lion, he’s a beast. It’s that combination.

“I’ve never seen anybody as focused, as dedicated. Just every single day. It’s just unbelievable. His attitude is stunning. Everybody has a bad day at the office, but not Adam. It is tremendous.”

Chris Walker-Hebborn, Peaty, James Guy and Duncan Scott were the British quartet who clinched Olympic silver in Rio behind the USA and again had to settle for second.

It was Britain’s final medal of a week which saw Ben Proud win the 50m butterfly and the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay team – Guy, Scott, Stephen Milne and Nick Grainger – also triumph.

Proud and Guy claimed bronze medals in the 50m freestyle and 100m butterfly, respectively.

Guy, like Peaty, finished with three medals. He claimed one of each colour.

On the medal haul, all won by men, Furniss pointed to the absence through injury of Jazz Carlin and the lengthy post-Rio break which contributed to Siobhan O’Connor under-performing here. The pair won three Olympic medals between them last August.

“Seven medals, second on the medal table – I don’t think we’ve ever done that before,” Furniss added.

“Does it mean we’re the second best nation in the world? I don’t think so. What it means is it’s probably a really good launchpad for the next three years (and the Tokyo Olympics).

“This meet was stunning – 20 events faster than Rio. The world never stays still, so we’ve got to go with it.”