Adam Ramsay-Peaty in tears after Commonwealth bronze
Adam Ramsay-Peaty finished third in the men's 100m breaststroke at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, breaking down in tears after a shock bronze behind Australia's Sam Williamson and Jersey teenager Filip Nowacki. The English star said he was not crying over the colour of the medal, but because he knows he is better than that swim.
The Adam Ramsay Peaty Commonwealth Games story in Glasgow turned emotional on Saturday as the English breaststroke great settled for bronze at Tollcross International Swimming Centre. He had arrived as the fastest qualifier, yet finished in 59.65 seconds after trailing at halfway and failing to close the gap.
Key Takeaways
- Ramsay-Peaty took bronze in the men's 100m breaststroke, behind Australia's Sam Williamson and Jersey's Filip Nowacki.
- He broke down in tears, saying the pain came from knowing the swim was below the work he put in, not from bronze versus gold.
- He told social media critics and the media "you can't hurt me" and urged them to "do better".
- He still plans to race the 50m breaststroke in Glasgow and is targeting Los Angeles 2028, while questioning whether the 100m remains viable.
Why did Adam Ramsay-Peaty break down in tears?
According to BBC Sport, the 31-year-old's eyes and cheeks were red with emotion after the final. He said he works harder than the scoreboard shows and that "it hurts too much".
"I'm not crying because it's a bronze instead of a gold," he told reporters. "I'm crying because I know that the swim could have been better, and I know I worked way better than that." He questioned the point of 5.30am starts, constant exhaustion, and missing family events if the result does not match the effort.
After collecting his medal, he kissed his wife Holly — whose baby is due in December — on the belly. "As a father, it doesn't matter if you come home with gold. As long as you come home with a teddy," he said, adding he will never be afraid to show weakness.
Who beat him to Commonwealth gold and silver?
Williamson won gold in 59.37 seconds. Nowacki, an 18-year-old world junior champion whom Ramsay-Peaty has mentored, took silver 0.17 seconds back. Ramsay-Peaty's 59.65 was more than four-tenths slower than his semi-final and three seconds off his personal best from seven years ago.
It was a bitter twist for an athlete with three Olympic golds, eight world titles, and the 14 fastest times in history. After a 2023 mental-health break and Olympic silver in Paris, he is still chasing a big-stage win again. Celebrity marriage coverage around Holly Ramsay — daughter of chef Gordon Ramsay — has also kept him in the spotlight beyond the pool, a theme often tracked in our Net Worth & Wealth coverage of high-profile careers.
What did he tell critics after the bronze?
In a blistering post-race message reported by The Guardian, Ramsay-Peaty addressed social media and media critics who have focused on his family estrangement. "You don't know who I am," he said. "You can't hurt me." He added that people who judge from headlines should look in the mirror, and that the media must "learn and do better".
"I feel like I deserve more, to be honest. I know the shit I've been through," he said, while stressing sport is about who delivers on the day. He called this "probably — realistically — my last Commonwealth Games" and said he had trained for better.
Is the 100m still part of his Olympic plan?
Ramsay-Peaty remains committed to Los Angeles 2028, especially after the 50m breaststroke was added to the Olympic programme. He races the 50m heats in Glasgow on Sunday.
"Is the 100 even viable any more? I don't know," he said, calling the shorter race closer to his "super strength" with power. "I'm a fighter," he added — but admitted he lost this scrap.