Once he was unbeatable but now Adam Ramsay-Peaty admits he's only human.
The Team England legend arrived in Glasgow with high hopes of becoming the first English swimmer to win individual gold medals at four consecutive Commonwealth Games.
Instead, he leaves with two bronze medals after a third-placed finish in the men’s 50m breaststroke final to go alongside the one from the 100m on Saturday.
The 31-year-old insists he is incredibly proud of his achievements in Glasgow in what is likely to be his last Commonwealth Games.
But he is now determined to get back to where he is accustomed – at the top.
However, not to the cost of his human side.
"I used to be the winning machine. Now I've shown my human side," he said.
"For that period when I was undefeated for eight years, it was athlete first and human second. Now it's human first, then athlete.
"I've been that person who won all the time, and it cost me pretty much everything. I wouldn't say it's worth it now.
"There's been a lot of learning this week. I'm pretty sure that was my last individual event at the Commonwealth Games. I really enjoyed it, but we just weren't fast enough. We weren't good enough, and we have to look at why.
"Every day in training this season I've been tracking in the right direction, so I can't really put my finger on it. Somewhere along the way I've lost that power per stroke, but that's sport.
"I'm not going to lie, it's frustrating when you can't quite put your finger on what's wrong. You digest it, just like in any other sport. You look at the data, work out what went wrong and really focus on fixing those areas."
Ramsay-Peaty is more reflective these days, showing a human side that he previously kept hidden.
Next up are the European Championships in Paris, a return to the city where he felt at his lowest in the days after the Olympics two years ago.
Ramsay-Peaty's preparations have also been shaped by significant change away from the pool.
After long-time coach Mel Marshall left Loughborough for Australia following the Paris Olympics, he reunited with Jamie Main at Repton.
But that partnership proved short-lived as he relocated to London.
He is now based at Chelsea and Westminster Swimming Club under coach Lisa Bates, dividing his training between Kensington and the London Aquatics Centre in Stratford.
"There are always two arguments going on in my head: 'I'm good enough' and 'I'm not good enough'," he said.
"I have to channel that frustration into the right areas, and right now that's looking ahead to the Europeans.
"There's still a lot of work to do. We need to change a few things in training, but that's between me and Lisa. I've only been at my new training base for 12 weeks, so let's keep it in perspective.”
James Toney/Sportsbeat
