Is struggling Ramsay-Peaty nearing the end?

Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Adam Ramsay-Peaty has not won a major gold medal since the 2022 Commonweath Games By Matthew Henry BBC Sport Journalist in Glasgow Published 17 minutes ago If you know what you are doing wrong, you can at least do something about it. Adam Ramsay-Peaty, however, appeared at a loss after his second bronze medal of the Commonwealth Games. "Nothing makes sense this week," he told BBC Sport. Things that once came so easily – namely, speed and winning over one or two lengths of a swimming pool – now look out of reach. So is this the end of the road for one of Britain's greatest Olympians, or can he turn the tide in time for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028? 'More training is not the answer' One thing Ramsay-Peaty, who went eight years unbeaten in the 100m from 2014 to 2022, did appear certain of was the need to change his training. "I am working way too hard," he said. "I need to look at that." Former freestyler Karen Pickering, who won her last Commonwealth title aged 30 in 2002, said she thinks Ramsay-Peaty "means is he is doing too much rather than too fast". He has always been a brutally hard worker, one keen to push himself to his limits. "I don't think more racing or training is the answer," Pickering said. "More rest is understanding what your body needs - maybe not being around doing interviews at 11pm. "It is learning to recover quicker. What do I need to eat? What do I need to drink? How do I get that lactic acid out of my body - massages or ice baths? But Scottish former breaststroker Ross Murdoch, who was Ramsay-Peaty's first rival and spent much of his career racing and training with the Englishman, said: "I know Adam and he will find it hard to take his foot off the gas." The weight of history against Ramsay-Peaty Even with a more bespoke training programme, Ramsay-Peaty cannot escape the hard facts. Only six swimmers have won Olympic gold after their 30th birthday and only two – Americans Anthony Elvin and Dana Torres in 2016 and 2000 respectively – have done so aged over 33, the age Ramsay-Peaty will be during the LA Olympics. When he returns to the pool in the European Championships next month he will face a stronger field than in Glasgow - one featuring Olympic champion Nicolo Martinenghi. Ramsay-Peaty is also facing increasing pressure from Filip Nowacki, the 18-year-old from Jersey he mentors. Nowacki beat him to silver on Saturday and begins Wednesday's 200m event as favourite. Still, Pickering says there are easy gains for Ramsay-Peaty to make as he attempts to get back to the top. "He has never had a good start but I would say his starts here have been pretty average," she said. "He doesn't seem to be deep enough in the water. "Once he would swim a 50m breaststroke, give them a head start and win because he was swimming so fast. Maybe that hasn't been a priority. "I would look at those skills and go back to basics. They are a relatively simple fix." To play this video you need to