The Sprightly Spud

August 7th 2016. This was the date when 21 year old Adam Peaty was thrust into the limelight, and established his status as one of the greatest swimmers GB has ever seen. Since then, the 6”3 titan has been at the forefront of British sport, so what is it that makes him so good?

Breaking down barriers from day 1

Before the three world records and international stardom, Peaty was a normal lad from Uttoxeter… with a fear of water. 

Born in December 1994, Adam was not always a fan of the water. Perhaps he has his 3 older brothers to blame for this, as they would tell him sharks could come into the bath through the plughole. Nevertheless, he overcame his anxiety, and took his first swimming lesson, like so many of us do, at four years old. In an interview with Cupra, he recalled how terrified he was at the time. He compared himself to ‘a cat in water’ – a far cry from the merman we are used to seeing nowadays. 

It goes without saying that his initial resistance to swimming rapidly subsided, and Peaty soon caught the bug for aquatics. Age nine, he began to train with Dove Valley Swimming Club, before graduating 5 years later to City of Derby Swimming Club at Queen’s Leisure Centre. 

This was where the journey to excellence really began, as he had the opportunity to train under Mel Marshal. The same lady who coaches him today. 

As is the case with any teenage sportsperson, parents play as much of a role in facilitating their training as the athlete themselves. It seems Adam’s determination was inherited from his mother, who was keen for his to capitalise on his talent, and dedicated countless hours and 4am starts to getting him to the pool. Caroline Peaty endured equally as gruelling a regime as her son, juggling double training session commutes, with a full time job, and three other children! Interestingly, Peaty also credits his siblings with fuelling his competitive spirit, he described ‘the continuous and unforgiving strive to be exceptional’ as something he learned from them.

The decision to commit

In 2012, Craig Benson made the semi-final of the 100m breaststroke in the London Olympics. The Scotsman was the youngest member of the team GB swimming squad that year, and was someone Peaty knew well from junior meets. 17 year old Peaty was preparing to for a night out, when he learned of Benson’s success. Something clicked, and Adam made the decision to dedicate his life to being King of the pool.

And so the grind began. 

Alongside Mel, who herself has 15 international swimming medals to her name, Peaty’s training escalated until it hit his current volume; around 20 hours in the pool and 10 hours in the gym each week. Day in, day out, the 29 year old pounds out laps in the water, and aims to maximise his aquatic power through resistance training on dry land. It goes without saying that this extent of training demands equal commitment to recovery. Consequently, Peaty easily devours 6000-7000 calories a day, making fuelling a full-time job in itself. Despite 30 hour training weeks, he still manages to find time for mobility and stretching, proving the importance of the ‘boring’ bits when it come to athletic longevity. 

This unparalleled drive to succeed and Herculean level of dedication has facilitated Adam’s journey to being the golden boy of British Swimming, even before Rio. 

The international medals started rolling in 2014. The Staffordshire lad made easy work of the Commonwealth 100m breast, and finished second to Van Der Burgh in the 50m. He picked up a fourth in the 200m breast, and another gold in the medley relay too, just to top things off. We were treaty to more Peaty power in the European Champs that year, 26.62s in the 50m breast final earned him the first of many world records, alongside 3 further golds. 2015 was the year Adam Peaty became World Champion, and break several of his own world records too. 

The overarching message; Peaty reaped the rewards of his commitment. 

Battling the demons

Every athlete faced setbacks in the Covid ridden days of 2020. A lack of training facilities, qualifier-worthy races and physical contact meant normal regimes were turned on their heads. Though some exceptions were made for the elites, everyone had to adapt and, critically, there were stark differences between countries when it came to restrictions. 

Peaty refused to let lockdown hinder his pursuit of excellence. A flume pool in his garden (lent to him by Bedfordshire Hot Tubs Limited and Edward Baxter) allowed for some level of swimming to continue, and nutritional diligence helped keep him in shape. Nevertheless, the Covid days meant Peaty relied on his metal strength to get him through. 

The prize for perseverance; three medals in the long-awaited Tokyo games.

We have all heard that sport is as much a psychological game as a physical one, and this is a message that rang true for Adam following his Japanese gold rush. 

“Any sane person knows that 18 years doing the same thing is pretty much crazy,” Peaty told the Guardian. “Trying to find tiny margins year after year, trying to find 0.1%.”

A fractured foot in 2022 served as a trigger point for a downward mental health spiral. All of a sudden, his dreams for another summer of racing were put on hold. When combined with the breakdown of his relationship at the time, and the pressure to perform, it all got too much. 

Peaty pulled out of the 2023 British Championships, later explaining that this was due to struggles with depression and alcohol, demonstrating that even the strongest of us are not unbreakable. 

Regardless of this, Adam fought on, and returned to swimming at the 2024 World Championships in Doha. 

Belief in something bigger

Peaty credits his ability to overcome the most challenging period of his career, and life, to his faith. The ‘dark moments’, as he described them to the BBC, were the result of an insatiable craving for fulfilment, and quantifiable measures of results and progress in his performance. 

Lacking a community outside of sport, Peaty struggled to escape his demons, a natural part of the competitive instinct so many athletes deal with. Until, that is, he found solace in church. 

Despite having been educated at Catholic Schools, Peaty’s deep connection with his Christian faith is relatively newfound, yet visible to all thanks to the cross tattooed across his chest, along with the phrase “into the light’’.

Albeit Adam’s appearance may give the impression that he is invincible. 6ft 3 of rippling muscles undoubtedly prove strength, yet it seems to me that the strength to trust in something bigger may be what distinguishes him from the competition. 

Humble and human

One would be forgiven for assuming Peaty’s personality to be far different than it is. An Adonis-esque appearance and a reputation as one of the greatest athletes in history would lend themselves to arrogance and a sense of superiority. 

Nevertheless, Adam Peaty is strikingly relatable. 

Not only is his candour in discussing his recent mental health turmoil admirable, but he also seems undaunted by the prospect of failure. 

Paris 2024 has been a bittersweet ordeal, for the young dad. The preceding months to the games were ringing with hopeful expectation that Peaty would return to the pool in peak form, then stride out with his third consecutive 100m breaststroke win.

This just wasn’t to be.  

As ever, he produced an astounding swim, but was just pipped to the gold by 0.02 seconds. Later, it was revealed that being forced to settle for silver was likely the fault of a positive COVID test. Regardless of the weight of expectation, Peaty’s post-race interviews were a display of infallible stoicism, telling reporters he was ‘just happy to be among these incredible athletes’.

Any disappointment at times and placings was most certainly outweighed by the joy felt by Adam that his son George could watch him swim. The hearts of the nation softened as he revealed exchange he would have with the toddler;

“Daddy, are you the fastest boy?”

“Not today.”

Evidently, the happiness of his little family is worth far more to Peaty than the colour of his medals, a trait that can only be a positive one. 

One eye on the future

Inertia is not an option for any Olympian. Though, to some extent, they must relish the feeling of being at their physical peak while it lasts, retirement is one of the only certainties in sport. Consequently, those keen to ease the difficult psychological transition to civilian life, must take steps to prepare for their post-competition careers. 

In 2019 ‘AP Race Clinics’ was founded. Alongside training partner at the time, Edward Baxter, Peaty capitalised on a vision to transform the standard ‘swim clinic’ into a format that taught young swimmers to race. There is no question that Adam is one of the most outstanding racers in the game, so it makes perfect sense that he should help instil the work ethic that propelled his record-breaking performances into the next generation of athletes.

By taking the camps on tours of the UK, rather than basing them in just one city, the clinics overcome geographical barriers to access to quality swim coaching for children in more rural areas, such as Cumbria. Post-COVID, they even began offering world-class support digitally through the innovative AP Plus platform, and broadcasting a fully virtual clinic in December 2020. 

Its clear to see how AP Clinics will continue to progress, and hopefully provide Peaty with a sense of valuable purpose many years after he wins his final medal.  

In Adam’s case, the commitment he has shown to AP Race Clinics not only demonstrates a heartwarming desire to inspire the next generation, but a valiant awareness of the responsibility he has to his family in providing long-term financial stability. 

So what are the values that build a champion?

1. Drive – PBs and world records do not come from idling. Alongside Mel Marshal, Peaty exemplifies the desire to succeed that wins medals. 
2. Love – there is no doubt that Adam Peaty would not be where he is today without the love shown to him by his family, even in the very early days, when his mother would endure endless 4am starts to facilitate his training. 
3. Acceptance – the knowledge that one will not always be the best has the potential to break some athletes, yet Peaty seems to have insight into life beyond the pool. His trust in his Christian faith, and ability to accept second place, demonstrates a humility which is rare in figures of his calibre.  

Peaty’s status as a legend in the water will certainly live through many more Olympic cycles. The question on all our lips, however, is will the man himself be back in 2028?