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Story highlights
- Peaty recently won two world championship titles in breaststroke
- Also won gold at Rio 2016 Olympics
- The Brit talks to CNN about his recent success
(CNN)Few athletes break world records. Fewer manage to do it twice -- on the same day.
But Adam Peaty is no normal athlete.
Aged just 22, the British swimmer picked up two gold medals in the 50 and 100m breaststroke events at the recent World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, and a silver in the 4x100m freestyle relay.
It was his 50m performances that really caught the eye, as Peaty broke his own world record first in the semifinals, and then again in the final, becoming the first man ever to go sub 26 seconds in the process.
"It's unreal," Peaty, who also won gold in the 100m breaststroke at last year's Olympics, told CNN World Sport.
"I got there in the morning and was quite tired from the 100m. I just dived in and when I touched the other side, I was like 'Oh my God, I've just gone under 26 seconds. I've just smashed my world record from two years ago.'
"I was just so tired from semifinal, but I got this urge from what I wanted and just took myself back to what I wanted from the sport and thought: 'I've come this far, why not push on again?'"
And push on he did.
Despite narrowly missing out on a world record in the 100m, Peaty's dominance of the event is such that he has now recorded each of the 10 fastest-ever times over the distance.
Photos: The best of Budapest
The Swimming World Aquatics Championships got underway on July 14 in Budapest. Performers at the opening ceremony welcomed some of the world's best athletes to Hungary's capital.
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Photos: The best of Budapest
Diving was one of the first disciplines to get underway. Here, Patrick Hausding of Germany competes in the men's 1M springboard final. He finished fourth, just missing out on a medal.
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Photos: The best of Budapest
These world championships are the largest sporting event Hungary has ever hosted.
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Photos: The best of Budapest
A new swimming and diving arena -- the Dagaly Budapest Aquatics Complex -- was opened on the eastern bank of the Danube ahead of the championships. Tina Punzel of Germany (pictured) finished sixth in the women's 1M final.
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Photos: The best of Budapest
From July 14-30, almost 3,000 athletes will compete in six disciplines and 75 competitions during the 17 days.
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Photos: The best of Budapest
The city had just four years to prepare for the event -- instead of the usual six -- after initial host, Guadalajara in Mexico, pulled out.
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Photos: The best of Budapest
Katinka Hosszu is one of swimming's greats and has achieved legendary status in her native Hungary. A three-time Olympic gold medalist in Rio, she has already thrilled home crowds once this week with victory in the women's 200m individual medley final.
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Photos: The best of Budapest
Tom Daley of Great Britain celebrates his gold medal in the men's 10M platform Saturday.
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Photos: The best of Budapest
In total, 75 gold medal are up for grabs, one of which was won by Great Britain's Adam Peaty in the 100m breaststroke. The Olympic champion now holds the top 10 fastest times in history in that event.
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Photos: The best of Budapest
USA's Katie Ledecky stunned the world as a teenager at Rio 2016 by winning four gold medals. She has made a winning start in Hungary, claiming gold in both the 400m freestyle and 4x100m freestyle.
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Photos: The best of Budapest
The Australian water polo team huddle during their match against Brazil. Named after Hungary's first Olympic gold medalist, the Alfred Hajós swimming complex will host all the water polo matches.
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Photos: The best of Budapest
Water polo is one of this championships more brutal sports. Hungary star Ádám Decker told CNN: "We always hold the enemy. We sometimes punch (and kick)."
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Photos: The best of Budapest
Russia compete in the women's team free routine during the synchronized swimming competition.
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Secrets to success
So what's his secret? Hard work, mainly. Which means "smashing it" in training.
"35 hours a week, six hours a day," says Peaty. "Absolutely killing training each day. I can't explain how much I do. You'd have to see it in person.
"If you're down at 5% energy, you've got to find that 95% and get up there. That's going to make the difference between coming fourth and breaking world records."
But he's got another secret, too, and that concerns his technique.
Joseph Schooling: Singapore's swimming hope 03:47
During the world championships, fellow swimmer Cameron can der Burgh said his rival was "swimming a new kind of stroke -- a metamorphosis between butterfly and breast."
Peaty, the envy of his fellow competitors, is revolutionizing the sport of swimming.
"A lot of breaststrokers are very tense, go in the gym and try and build as much muscle as possible," says Peaty.
"But you want the complete opposite of that. Obviously you want the muscle, but you've got to be relaxed."
Looking ahead
After already winning his first gold medal aged 21, Peaty is now eying success at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
Synchronized swimming? How do I do that?? 02:22
"Obviously I've got to celebrate what I did in Budapest. For now it's all about chocolate cake and relaxing.
"But when I'm back to it, I'm back to it. I'll smash training, absolutely. But for me, it's not a problem peaking for Tokyo, it's what I do.
"I've got a good support team behind me to make sure I get there."
Most wouldn't bet against Peaty making more records tumbling at Tokyo in three years' time. Watch this space.
