Commonwealth Games: Adam Peaty wins first 50m Commonwealth title

Peaty won his first Commonwealth 50m breaststroke title in his final race at the Games.

After missing out on a 100m medal on Sunday, the English swimmer said he was not bothered about adding the shorter title to his collection.

He thrashed the water in celebration, but that didn't look like it.

He said that he had two choices this morning.

I fight everyone who knows me.

Peaty looked ready to fight as he entered the Sandwell aquatics centre, beating his chest twice before raising his hand to acknowledge the crowd.

After jumping up and down behind his block, the shouts of "come on Peaty" subsided.

Peaty nodded after touching first in 26.76 seconds.

He told them to back a lion into a corner. He looked like the king of the pool as he roared at the crowd from the lane rope.

It was easy to win in the end. Ross Murdoch, who secretly retired in December before returning to swimming, took the bronze medal in 27.32 seconds.

After winning his second Olympic gold medal in the 100m, Peaty said he needed to take a break and focus on the Olympics in four years.

He repaid the applause from the crowd by throwing his cap and goggles into the stands.

Peaty has been through a lot in the last five years.

I regained my spark at the beginning of the week. To bring myself up with the crowd in my own mind is the result of reaching the bottom yesterday.

He had a smile on his face as he received his medal on the podium.

After completing his collection of Commonwealth titles, Peaty said he was looking forward to reset and training over the winter.

He said he was glad he lost earlier in the week because the wins felt better.

After missing out on a medal in the 50m breaststroke final, Peaty apologized in his post race interview, saying he was not bothered.

His reaction was described as disrespectful by the commentators.

He said he wanted to be accountable for that. It wasn't right. I apologize to anyone who thought that I addressed it. Emotions were running high yesterday. Yesterday, I reached the bottom.

Peaty, had earlier clarified his comments on Twitter, writing: "Sometimes in the heat of the moment, my emotions better me... These championships mean a lot to me, being a home Games."

Williams claims backstroke gold

Peaty's was not the first English gold on the last night of swimming in Birmingham, as earlier on, Brodie Williams passed fellow countrymen to win the 200m backstroke.

Williams and Greenbank embraced as the home crowd cheered.

James Guy continued the rush of medals for England with a silver in the 100m butterfly final, while Laura Stephens brought more joy for the hosts with a silver in the 200m butterfly.

Josh Liendo, the first black Canadian swimmer to win a world short course gold, won in 51.24 seconds, ahead of Australia's Matthew Temple and South African Chad le Clos.

Australia's Col Pearse won gold in the 100m butterfly S10 and the hosts' quartet of Lauren Cox, James Wilby, Guy and Freya Anderson won bronze in the 4x200m freestyle relay.

The men's 200m backstroke was won by Australia's Bradley Woodward.

Australia's Elizabeth Dekkers won the gold medal in the women's 200m butterfly with a time of two minutes 7.26 seconds, 0.64 seconds ahead of her nearest competitor.

Ben Proud qualified fastest for the men's 50m freestyle final with a time of 21.63 seconds.

Wales' Medi Harris, Northern Ireland's Danielle Hill and England's Cox advanced to the final.

Australia continue to dominate

In the 100m freestyle, Emma McKeon became the most decorated Commonwealth athlete of all time alongside South Africa's Le Clos as a bronze took her medal tally to 18.

Shayna Jack took the silver in that race.

The South African won the women's 100m breaststroke in a time of 1:01.94, while the other two South Africans took silver and bronze.

Before the night ended, Australia had three more golds.

For the fifth time in the Games, they claimed all three medals in a swimming event, with Jasmine winning the 200m individual medley SM 10.

In the 800m freestyle, Titmus broke the Commonwealth Games record with a time of 8:13.59, with Australians Kiah Melverton and Lani Pallister second and third.

They continued their domination of the relays by winning the mixed 4x 100m backstroke.