Ramsay-Peaty puzzled after failing to reach 50m breaststroke semi in Paris

Adam Ramsay-Peaty was eliminated in the heats of the 50m breaststroke at the European Aquatics Championships in Paris on Friday, failing to reach the semi-finals. The former Olympic and world champion said his recent performances were "not good enough" and that "it is so bad that I'm confused," he told Swimmingworldmagazine.com.

Ramsay-Peaty's dive has been cited as his main area of concern in recent months, and the 31-year-old's long run of continental dominance ended in Paris this week. Between 2014 and 2020 he won 16 out of 16 golds at the European event, but his unbeaten European streak concluded when he finished fifth in the 100m breaststroke and fourth in the mixed medley relay. He has been working on his dive with coach Lisa Bates since June and said the past few weeks have been "one of those lessons."

In Friday's 50m heat Ramsay-Peaty finished eighth in his race after a poor start and recorded a time of 27.34secs. That result left him 20th overall in the event, outside the top 16 who progressed to the semi-finals later on Friday. For context, he set the world record of 25.95 seconds in 2017.

Ramsay-Peaty's recent run of form has included mixed results at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow last month, where he won 100m breaststroke bronze and broke down in tears afterwards. After taking bronze in the 50m at the same Games he said "nothing makes sense," and in Paris his time in the 100m improved to 59.10secs but was only sufficient for fifth place.

Addressing technical issues, Ramsay-Peaty suggested the problem may lie with his entry into the water. "It is probably how I'm hitting the water," he added. "I think I've just got to really change up what I'm doing, to be honest."

Compatriot Filip Nowacki, who won 200m gold and 100m silver in Glasgow, finished 18th in the Paris heats and also missed out on the semi-finals. Ramsay-Peaty's 20th-place finish therefore left him outside the 16 swimmers who advanced to the semi-final stage later on Friday.