Adam Peaty was absent as Team GB, including Chorley's Anna Hopkin, surrendered their Olympic crown and world record in the mixed 4x100 metres medley relay final to the United States tonight.

Peaty helped Team GB win the inaugural event at Tokyo 2020 but he missed yesterday's heats after a positive covid test on Monday morning, having bagged silver in the men's 100m breaststroke the night before.

While Peaty featured in the men's 4x100m medley relay preliminaries this morning and described how he has had the "worst week" physically, he was conspicuously absent from the evening's mixed final.

Kathleen Dawson, James Wilby, Duncan Scott and Hopkin finished a disappointing seventh as the USA claimed gold in 3mins 37.43secs - 0.15 secs quicker than Team GB were three years ago.

Dawson was on backstroke duties, Wilby was in for Peaty for the breaststroke, Scott took the butterfly leg while Hopkin finished on freestyle.

The team, including Hopkin, had finished third in their heat the previous day behind the USA and China to make Saturday's final.

Peaty had also been battling other ailments including an ear infection in recent days and had always been a doubt to race in the mixed event.

"It's been a rough, rough week but hopefully we'll find our way through the next 36 hours," said Peaty.

"(It's) probably (been) the worst week of my life in terms of how my body is - and that is no exaggeration.

"Everything's come at once and since covid, I've been waking up every day with a different thing.

"The medical team has been brilliant and it's just a victory getting on that starting block."

Earlier today, Hopkin had finished fourth in her heat in the Women’s 50m Freestyle in 24.72 to progress into the semi-finals.

However, a fifth-placed in that behind winner and new Olympic Record holder, Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom, saw her miss out on a place in tomorrow’s individual final as the 28-year-old ended her championships without adding to her gold medal from Tokyo three years ago.

She was also in the team that finished seventh in the Women's 4x100m Freestyle Relay final last Saturday and was sixth in the individual semi-final of the Women's 100m Freestyle on Tuesday.

Elsewhere in the pool tonight, American Katie Ledecky made more history as she won the women's 800m final, joining Michael Phelps as the only swimmers to claim gold in the same event at four successive Olympics.

This was her ninth gold, equalling the record for a female Olympian with former Soviet Union gymnast Larisa Latynina, and her 14th medal overall in a breathtaking career.