Peaty retains European breaststroke title

Adam Peaty retained his 100m breaststroke title as history repeated itself at the European Championships in London on Tuesday.

When Peaty led home compatriot Ross Murdoch in 2014, the pair became the first British men to fill the top two positions in the event in European history.

It was a feat they replicated at the Aquatics Centre with Peaty setting a new championship record of 58.36secs ? the third-fastest time in history and one only he has bettered ? with 2014 bronze medallist Giedrius Titenis of Liuthuania again finishing third.

Peaty then returned to swim the breaststroke leg as Britain defended their title in the mixed 4x100m medley relay.

Other winners included Katinka Hosszu in the 200m backstroke and Camille Lacourt in the men's 100m backstroke while Sarah Sjostrom and Andriy Govorov won the women's and men's 50m butterfly respectively.

When Peaty won the title two years ago in Berlin, it was just days after his success at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow as he made a deafening entrance on to the senior world stage which has seen him clinch world titles and world records.

The 21-year-old went out quickly in London, reaching the halfway stage just 0.17secs off the world record he set in the same lane of the same pool in April 2015.

Never under threat, Peaty lowered his own championship record by 0.32secs, 1.37secs ahead of Murdoch with Titenis a further 0.37secs adrift.

Victory also brings to five the number of golds British men have won in this event in European history after Adrian Moorhouse won three consecutive titles between 1985 and 1989.

Peaty's time was all the more notable given he is in the midst of heavy training and he exceeded his own expectations.

"To be honest I didn't think I would break the minute," he said.

"On Thursday I didn't think I could even get out of my car I was so sore.

"I am in a great place and my stroke is in an even better place, probably the best it's ever been, so who knows? Proper strong now and looking forward to the challenges I face in Rio."

He added: "I just did it. I did the process and came out with a 58 point...so all top-four times in the world are mine so it's looking good going into Rio because I haven't rested at all for this."

Murdoch, who won bronze behind Peaty and Olympic champion Cameron van der Burgh at last year's World Championships, said: "Coming away with a silver is not a bad result.

"However, it would be lovely to win sometimes but if you are racing up against someone like Peaty you have a tough job."

- Hosszu, Lacourt win -

Hungary's Hosszu, who won the 400m individual medley on the first night, led from start to finish to win the 200m backstroke, holding off a fast-finishing Daryna Sevina of Ukraine in 2:07.01, the fourth-fastest time in the world this year.

"I wanted to swim 2:07 and I clocked this time. I knew that Daryna is very fast on the last 50 metres so it turned into a very tough race at the end," said Hosszu.

Frenchman Lacourt won 100m backstroke gold -- six years after taking the title in Budapest -- the world silver medallist holding off a fast-finishing Grigory Tarasevich by 0.10secs in 53.79secs.

Govorov led from start to finish to upgrade his bronze in 2014 to gold in the 50m butterfly in 22.92 ahead of Hungary's Laszlo Cseh and Ben Proud of Great Britain.

Sjostrom made it three European titles in a row in the women's equivalent, victory coming in 24.99 ahead of 2013 world champion Jeanette Ottesen of Denmark and Britain's Fran Halsall, an exact replica of the 2014 podium.

Halsall then returned to swim the freestyle anchor leg as Britain defended the mixed medley relay title in 3:44.56.

Ruta Meilutyte produced a notable performance in the 100m breaststroke semi-finals, the Olympic champion setting a championship record of 1:06.16.