Adam Peaty remains on course for a historic third Olympic title in the men’s 100 metres breaststroke as he set up a tantalising showdown against Qin Haiyang in Sunday’s final.
The pair won their respective semi-finals but it is Peaty who has the psychological upper hand after clocking 58.86 seconds, which was 0.07 secs quicker than his Chinese rival at La Defense Arena.
One extra element of intrigue in their head-to-head surrounds the public comments both have made about the Chinese doping scandal that has engulfed the build-up to these Games.
Qin was among 23 swimmers to have tested positive for a banned substance prior to the Tokyo Olympics three years ago but was cleared to compete after Chinese authorities blamed accidental contamination.
While Qin on Friday suggested a witch-hunt against his nation led by “European and American teams”, Peaty hit back on Saturday, insisting he wanted a level playing field for all.
Asked about the controversy, he responded: “It’s always in the back of your mind as an athlete.
“You definitely want a fair game, you want to win fair and be around people who do the same and live by the same values. That’s all I’ll say on that, I think we all know what we’re talking about.
“But at the same time, we’ve got a job to do so we can’t let that be a cloud in front of the road.”
Peaty is seeking to become just the second male swimmer after Michael Phelps to win Olympic gold at three successive Games, having triumphed at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
On both of those occasions, Peaty made a statement of intent and broke the world record twice in Brazil but struggles in and out of the pool since becoming the first British swimmer to retain an Olympic title in Japan in 2021 has led to him becoming a more considered figure.
While he has suggested he will be looking to peak in the final as he takes a more strategic approach, his semi-final showing is 0.89s slower than what he recorded at Olympic trials in April.
Qin, the 50m, 100m and 200m gold medallist at last year’s World Championships, has also struggled while there was only half a second separating the top-eight qualifiers in the event.
There is a suspicion times are slower across the board because of a shallower pool than usual but Peaty said: “Times don’t mean anything here. They do not mean a single thing here. It’s about who gets their hand on the wall. That is sport in its most beautiful form.
“It’s about the racing and that’s what I love. That’s what goes through every vein in my body. Tomorrow, I’m just looking for a little bit of joy through that.”
Peaty easing into the final took the sting out of a disappointing night in the pool for Team GB as the men’s and women’s 4x100m freestyle relay teams finished outside the podium positions.
Matt Richards , Jacob Whittle, Tom Dean and Duncan Scott finished fifth for the men, 2.33s behind the winners United States, while Anna Hopkin, Eva Okaro, Lucy Hope and Freya Anderson came in seventh, 6.33 behind gold medallists Australia.
James Wilby was unable to join Peaty in the final after finishing 0.11s outside the top-eight qualifying times while Keanna Macinnes was last in her women’s 100m butterfly semi-final.
Ariarne Titmus held on to her women’s 400m freestyle title in an eagerly-anticipated race, with Summer McIntosh, tipped to be one of these Games’ breakout stars, taking the silver medal. Katie Ledecky, a seven-time gold medallist and champion in the event at Rio 2016, rounded off the podium.
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