By his own admission Adam Peaty has been taking himself too seriously but after a first major defeat in four years the breaststroke star plans on swimming for enjoyment.

Already one of Britain’s greatest-ever swimmers, Peaty defended his Commonwealth 100m breaststroke crown before slipping to a surprise defeat over 50m, his first loss in a major final in one of his two main events since Glasgow 2014.

That was something of a reality check for the Olympic champion – the first male British swimmer to do so in 28 years – and Peaty is determined to learn the lessons from his time in Gold Coast.

Peaty, who finished the week with a gold and two silver medals, said: “There’s been a lot learnt these last few days. There’s a lot of motivation for the next cycle now, we’ll see where we are for the Europeans. I think I’m just enjoying it a lot more.

“From these last few days, even though it was a loss, I think it was a bit of a reality check and I know how I can move on from here.

“You’ve got to get the balance right, it’s very important but a lot can go wrong in the run-up to a competition, on the day of a competition, even in a race you can lose your swim and what you do it for.

"That’s what happened to me. Maybe it was the training up to the Games where I wasn’t focusing on that as much as I should have done.

"But that’s a massive learning curve and a massive positive for me because if I can still go 58 and win it’s a great thing.”

Next up for Peaty is the European Championships in Glasgow in August, where he will look to defend the two titles he won in London shortly before his Rio triumph.

And while his unbeaten streak was ended by South Africa’s Cameron van der Burgh in Australia, Peaty was confident he had taken the loss in the right way with the help of coach Mel Marshall.

He added: “No athlete goes through their career without a loss. I’m a mature pro, you’re always going to take a hit, it was always going to happen, it was how I reacted to it.

“I think I reacted well, I’ve learned a lot from that swim, I’ve learned how to swim it next time a lot better. I’ve learned a lot about myself as a person and an athlete. Mel has guided me through that, she’s been there and done it.

“For silver, it’s not the end of the world, it’s sport. For where the Olympic cycle is, I want to go really good in the first year, better in the second, better in the third and all in for the fourth.”

And Peaty also paid tribute to the support he has received along the way, with his parents Mark and Caroline, not to mention grandma Mavis, helping him at every turn.

He added: “You couldn’t do it without your parents, especially when you’re coming through, then you have sponsors, family and friends who help you along the way.

“The one behind that is moral support because you go head to head with yourself every single day and you have to perform 110 percent every single day. You just need that reassurance that the light is at the end of the tunnel and there is a meaning, which is gold at the end.”

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