PARIS -- Team GB's Adam Peaty is set for a showdown against China's Qin Haiyang in the men's 100-metre breaststroke final on Sunday after setting the quickest time of the semifinals.
Peaty's time of 58.86 seconds was 0.07 seconds faster than Haiyang's, who swam in the following semifinal.
Peaty, the world record holder in the event, is aiming to make history in the French capital this weekend by becoming only the second man after Michael Phelps to win the same race at three consecutive Olympic Games.
However, there are doubt over whether he is still the fastest man in the 100-metre breaststroke. He returned to the pool in February after taking time off due to struggles with his mental health. Meanwhile, Haiyang has recorded the fastest time this season. It forecasts for a nail biting final on Sunday.
"Times do not mean a single thing here. It is about who gets their hands on the wall to get these top three finishes," Peaty said. "That is sport in its most beautiful form. We don't care about the time, don't care about all that. Of course we dissect it, of course we use it, but it's about the racing and that's what I love.
"That's what is through every single vein in my body and tomorrow I'm just looking for a little bit of joy through that."
Peaty and Haiyang last raced against each other in Berlin last October when Haiyang won all three breaststroke disciplines. However, Peaty has a renewed focus and a fresh mindset since then.
"It's about enjoying it," Peaty said. "I don't want to come out there tomorrow and be anxious and thinking, of course you're going to have nerves. I embrace the nerves, I love the nerves, but whatever the result, tomorrow I want to finish with a smile. I know that I give my all with no mistakes and I think that I can do that."
Also at the pool on Saturday, Team GB fell short of winning their first-ever medal in the men's 4x100-metre freestyle relay, with the lineup of Matt Richards, Jacob Henry, Tom Dean and Duncan Scott finishing in fifth.
They followed Anna Hopkin, Eva Okaro, Lucy Hope and Freya Anderson who finished seventh in the women's 4x100-metre freestyle relay.