'I love a good scrap' – Ramsay-Peaty ready for his apprentice

Adam Ramsay-Peaty, widely regarded as the finest breaststroke swimmer the world has ever seen, is set to compete in the 100m breaststroke final at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games on Saturday, shortly after 21:00 BST. At 31, he is chasing his 33rd major gold medal and hopes to win a third individual Olympic gold at the Los Angeles Games in two years' time.

His main rival is 18-year-old Filip Nowacki from Jersey, who trains under Ramsay-Peaty's AP Race programme – a stable designed to develop the next generation. Last year, Nowacki broke Ramsay-Peaty's junior British record in the 100m breaststroke, and he is considered stronger over 200m, a distance Ramsay-Peaty does not race.

In Friday's semi-finals, Ramsay-Peaty built an early lead and held off Nowacki, despite suffering a broken finger in June. "I saw his front wave, but at the same time that is what I train for," Ramsay-Peaty said. "I know I am a sprinter."

Nowacki, who learned to swim under Nathan Jegou on the Channel Island, was only eight years old when Ramsay-Peaty won gold in the same pool at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. "Adam is a true role model in the sport," Nowacki said. "I grew up watching him race at Rio, Tokyo and Paris. To race him and not be a random competitor but give him a race is special to me."

If Nowacki wins a medal, it would be Jersey's first Commonwealth Games medal in 36 years; the island has only ever won one gold. Australian Sam Williamson, who won the first semi-final, is also a contender.

Ramsay-Peaty has not stood atop a major podium since the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, where he won the 50m crown but lost the 100m title to James Wilby. A "self-destructive spiral" due to mental health issues followed, during which he considered retiring. But now he is back, ready for the challenge. "It is going to be a good scrap, especially down that last 25m, and I do love a good scrap," he said. He would never go quietly.