ADAM PEATY was in floods of tears as he admitted swimming “broke him” after narrowly missing out on another Olympic gold.
Peaty was just 0.02 seconds off retaining his title in the Men’s 100m Breaststroke, but ultimately settled for joint silver.
The Team GB superstar shared silver with Team USA‘s Nic Fink after the pair finished in exactly the same time, with Italy’s Nicolo Martinenghi swooping gold.
Peaty was emotional after the race, opening up about his journey to get to this point while sharing a heartwarming moment with his three-year-old son George.
Peaty said: “George normally goes, ‘Daddy, are you the fastest boy?’ and I would’ve said, ‘Not today’.
“But he says, ‘I love you Daddy’ And that’s all I care about.”
The six-time Olympic medal winner previously took a break from swimming after struggling with alcohol abuse and mental health issues.
And his passionate interview with the BBC explained how hard it is to compete at the highest level.
The 29-year-old said: “I love the sport and I love how far it’s taken me and the challenge every single day.
“These are happy tears because I don’t think anybody could have done it other than me.
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“The relationship I’ve got with this sport is: I’m all in. That comes at a cost of spending time with boy, spending time doing things I want to do as an older man.”
Adding: “I think, taking a break from this sport, because it broke me, and trying to find a way back – I’ve already won.
“My heart is so happy and I am so grateful that I can theoretically lose and feel like I have still won.”
Peaty wasn’t the only emotional one either with former Team GB star Rebecca Adlington also welling up on the BBC’s live coverage of the race.
Peaty’s chances of another gold to add to three he has already achieved are not over yet.
The 29-year-old still has a crack at both the Mixed and the Men’s 4x100m medley relay races.
Mixed 4x100m medley relay
Men’s 4x100m medley relay
