PARIS -- Adam Peaty got his bid for third straight Olympic gold off to a good start Saturday, qualifying through to the 100-meter breaststroke semifinals with the second-fastest time of the heats.
Peaty, the world-record holder in the event, is aiming to make history this weekend by becoming only the second man after Michael Phelps to win gold in the same swimming event at three consecutive Olympic Games.
Peaty, 29, arrived in Paris under a slight question mark, given he returned to the pool in February following a mental health break. He registered his fastest time (57.94 seconds) since Tokyo at the British trials in April, although it was still behind his routinely blistering pace.
He did little to answer doubters, finishing with a time of 59.18 seconds, but said he doesn't feel he needs to overexert for quick times in order to prove himself.
"The whole field was a bit slow in a sense that I saw the scores come in and said: 'I don't really have to push anything too far,'" Peaty said. "Didn't have to prove anything, but we'll see what we get tonight."
His biggest rival in Paris is Chinese swimmer Qin Haiyang, who won all three men's breaststroke titles at last year's world championships. He delivered a passable time of 59.58 seconds, finishing third in his heat and ninth overall.
Peaty hinted at his tactics for tonight's semifinal, suggesting he would continue to conserve energy and save himself for Sunday's final.
"We can't win the battle now," Peaty added. "We have to win it tomorrow. ... I think that's just experience where I know I don't have to spend the energy here.
"We were saying to [coach] Mel [Marshall] this morning, it's about business, business and business. That's purely it."