Adam Ramsay-Peaty and Filip Nowacki will race each other Saturday in the 100m breaststroke final at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, shortly after 21:00 BST. The matchup pairs the most decorated breaststroker in history against an 18-year-old who trains within his own development program.
According to BBC Sport, Nowacki is part of Ramsay-Peaty's AP Race stable, a program set up to develop the next generation of swimmers. Last year, Nowacki broke Ramsay-Peaty's 100m breaststroke junior British record. He has also begun picking off other age-group records that Ramsay-Peaty once held.
In Friday's semifinal, the two were placed side by side in lanes four and five. Ramsay-Peaty built an early lead and held it through the second length, with Nowacki close but unable to close the gap. Ramsay-Peaty is managing uncertainty around a broken finger suffered in June, but showed no signs of slowing in the heat.
"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. I know I can go out fast."
Nowacki, who competes for Jersey at this Games having learned to swim under coach Nathan Jegou on the Channel Island, is considered stronger at the 200m distance, a race Ramsay-Peaty does not enter. In the shorter 100m, Ramsay-Peaty's explosive start is his primary weapon.
When asked after the semifinal if he believes he can win the final, Nowacki laughed before answering. "Course I do," he said, then quickly added: "No, I wish, I'm gonna give it my best shot."
Ramsay-Peaty is chasing his 33rd major gold medal of his career. He has stated his longer goal is a third individual Olympic gold at the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Nowacki was not yet swimming without armbands when Ramsay-Peaty won gold in this same Glasgow pool at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, the meet that first introduced Ramsay-Peaty to the world stage.
