Great Britain Olympic Swimmer Adam Peaty Tests Positive for COVID-19 After Winning Silver

Great Britain Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday, less than 24 hours after he won the silver medal in the men’s 100-m breaststroke.

Peaty, 29, began feeling unwell before the final on Sunday, Team Great Britain said in a statement. In the hours after the race, his symptoms worsened, and he tested positive for COVID-19 early on Monday morning.

“He is hopeful to be back in competition for the relay events later in the swimming programme,” Team Great Britain said. “As in any case of illness, the situation is being managed appropriately, with all usual precautions being taken to keep the wider delegation healthy.”

Peaty confirmed his COVID-19 diagnosis in an Instagram post on Monday. “I’ll now be focusing on a fast, full recovery to give my best in the team relays later in the week,” Peaty wrote in the caption of the post. 

The mixed 4x100-m medley relay final is set to take place on Aug. 3, and the men’s 4x100-m medley relay final will be held on Aug. 4. Peaty previously competed in the Tokyo and Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

Team Great Britain declined to specify what precautions Peaty and the team were taking or what treatment, if any, Peaty was receiving. 

The Paris Games have significantly less stringent COVID-19 restrictions compared to the Tokyo Games in 2021; there are no mask mandates or isolation periods. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) did not respond to a request for comment about its guidelines or Peaty’s positive test. When five players on the Australian women’s water polo team tested positive for the virus last week, the country’s Olympic team chief told Le Monde that affected players would be cleared for practice when they feel well enough to train, adding that affected athletes would be wearing masks and isolating from other team members outside of training.

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Peaty shared a step on the podium with Team USA swimmer Nic Fink on Sunday night, after the two athletes tied for silver in the men’s 100-m breaststroke.

Video footage also showed Peaty kissing Italian swimmer Nicolo Martinenghi, who won the gold medal for the race on Sunday, on the cheek that same night.

People who test positive for COVID-19 can continue to test positive for the virus for days or even weeks after, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.