On the day where Katie Ledecky, the American sensation who has was previously untouchable in the sport, was beaten, Peaty ensured a second dynasty would not crumble.
His time of 57.37 was the fifth fastest in history, almost half a second off his world record, but in a different stratosphere to the rest of the field.
And yet the last year has not been easy, there have been moments of doubt.
He added: “There have been so many challenges and some breakdowns as well. What am I doing every single day? Why am I training three times a day? Why am I doing everything for this swim? But I’ll see back home, that’s why we do it. The 99.99% we spend in the dark is for the 0.01% we spend in the light.