Adam Peaty and Caeleb Dressel shared an intense swimming rivalry at the Tokyo Olympics. Both exceptional swimmers led their teams to face off against one another in the 4x100m relay. Dressel eventually helped the U.S. win against the talented Great Britain in a world record time of 26.78 seconds. But just like opponents are important in sports to push each other, teammates help athletes shoulder responsibilities together.

But sometimes certain incidents arise that can create a rift between teammates. One such incident was witnessed by the swimming world recently between Great Britain swimming teammates Adam Peaty and Luke Greenbank. Both swimmers are Olympic and world championship medalists but were involved in a heated bust-up.

Swimming world witnesses bust-up between Great Britain’s teammates

Till a few years ago, Adam Peaty was dating his fellow Great Britain Olympic teammate Anna Hopkin. However, they eventually parted ways and reports suggest that Peaty’s teammate Luke Greenbank has been dating Hopkin for the past two years. Both Peaty and Greenbank were part of the silver medal 4x100m relay team at the Tokyo Olympics. But during one of Great Britain’s recent swimming practices at the Loughborough University Peaty, the two swimmers were involved in a heated exchange over what witnesses claim was due to Peaty passing remarks on Hopkin.

Reports claim that the remarks were not well received by Greenback, who retaliated and, as a result, Peaty was left with a bloody face. Peaty required a number of stitches and was tended by the team’s coaches. According to a report by The Sun, “It was absolute carnage. Peaty was being cocky and made a joke at Greenbank’s expense, before touching his backside. But his actions touched a real nerve for Greenbank and it got very heated. Peaty was left with a bloody face and needing treatment.” Till a few months before this incident, Peaty had been on a break from swimming as he took some time off to focus on his mental health.

Adam Peaty had earlier taken a break from the sport

Adam Peaty confessed that the past few years have taken a toll on his mental health. In 2022, the Olympic gold medalist also missed the world championships in Budapest due to fracturing a bone in his foot. During this time, the Briton also claimed that he was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and also faced problems with alcohol and depression. Peaty emphasized that he constantly thought of chasing more world records and gold medals and that made him miserable. These were the reasons that prompted the Olympian to take a break from swimming.

Read more: Michael Phelps, Caeleb Dressel and Other US Swimmers Dominate World Records in 21st Century

Peaty has only returned to training in the past few months as the 2024 Paris Olympics edges near. It remains to be seen how this latest altercation between Peaty and Greenbank will affect Great Britain’s swimming chemistry. Fans will hope that both star swimmers can put this incident in the past and look ahead to the future in Paris.

Watch this story: Swimming Legend Michael Phelps Cheers for Another Sport After Switching His Career as Pro-Golfer From Swimmer