Adam Peaty’s 100-metre breaststroke heat was delayed after a volunteer had to jump into the swimming pool at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre to fix a lane rope that had snapped loose.
Competitors had already emerged poolside and were preparing to step onto their blocks when the rope separating lanes six and seven came away from the wall without warning.
Athletes were told to return to their seats, many pulling tracksuits and heavy coats back on to preserve body heat.
After fellow volunteers failed to retrieve a small anchor component from the pool floor using nets, one man in dark blue shorts drew roaring cheers from spectators by diving in goggle-free to fish it out himself, allowing the rope to be secured once more.
The volunteer drew an array of cheers before hopping into the pool
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Ramsay-Peaty was unfazed by the disruption, cruising to victory in his heat with a time of 59.46 seconds – the quickest posted by any swimmer across the day’s programme.
The three-time Olympic champion said: “It doesn’t help, does it? But that happens in sport.
“In any sport, stuff goes wrong. It doesn’t help losing all the heat [in your muscles] when you’re preparing.
“There’s 10 minutes where you’re losing hydration, I guess, but you know what, I’ve done a lot better in worse conditions so hopefully it will be a nice marker of where we’re truly at.”
The volunteer scooped up the small anchor component from the pool floor
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Asked whether he had considered retrieving the rogue fitting himself, Ramsay-Peaty grinned, saying: “Definitely not.”
Ramsay-Peaty heads into Friday evening’s semi-finals as the clear favourite to claim a third Commonwealth 100m breaststroke gold, 12 years after he first announced himself on the world stage as a teenager at this very venue.
The 31-year-old is racing under his new married surname for the first time at a major championship, having tied the knot with Holly Ramsay, the influencer daughter of Gordon Ramsay, earlier this year.
He said: “It’s a full circle. Twelve years ago was my 2014 debut. World records, no kids, pre-marriage, so I was a completely different person really.
Ramsay-Peaty was unfazed by the disruption, cruising to victory in his heat with a time of 59.46 seconds
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“This time, I know why I’m here. It’s that full circle moment for me.”
He was just 19 when Glasgow last staged the Games.
The opening day also served up a compelling family rivalry in the pool.
Ramsay-Peaty was just 19 when Glasgow last staged the Games
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Visually impaired sisters Astrid and Ursula Carroll found themselves on opposite sides of the home nations divide, lining up against each other in the 100m freestyle S13 heats.
Ursula, at 14, is the youngest member of the England squad and touched the wall in fifth place.
Her elder sister Astrid, 17, represented Scotland but finished two spots further back in seventh.
