Yes, he can swim pretty quickly – but just how fast can Peaty drive?
OLYMPIC CHAMP SWAPS POOL FOR RACE TRACK IN CUPRA TIME TRIAL
SWIMMING champion Adam Peaty MBE took time out from his training preparations for the Tokyo Olympics to swap the pool for the race track.
In the week he was officially named as part of the Team GB swimming squad going to Japan, the reigning Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth 100m breaststroke champion arrived at the Oulton Park Circuit, in Little Budworth, Cheshire, as CUPRA’S new brand ambassador.
Uttoxeter-born Peaty, who started his competitive training at the City of Derby swimming club in 2009, got behind the wheel of the car manufacturer’s new Formentor performance sports utility vehicle (SUV) to take on a time-trial challenge against the clock.
Describing himself as a massive petrol-head with a love for cars, the 26-year-old first familiarised himself with the challenging race circuit, following the driving lines of his racing instructor to navigate the tight turns and chicanes of the track.
It did not take long for Peaty’s competitive spirit to come to the fore.
Eager to set some timed practice laps, the 100m breaststroke world record holder pulled in front of his instructor and set about delivering three pulse-racing laps to set a fastest time of 1:26:90 to set the stage for a final test to try to beat yet another record of his own.
Peaty established a punishing pace to set the fastest lap time yet, 1:24:90, a full two seconds quicker than his previous best.
All smiles, Peaty said afterwards: “It’s such a big year for me and it’s always nice to take a break from training to switch off for a while.
“I’ve had a passion for cars since I was a boy and to take part in my first ever track day was fantastic.
“The handling of the Formentor was absolutely awesome and I was determined to keep breaking my lap times - thank you CUPRA.
“I’ve got a very good work-life balance – I believe that if you want to continually push in anything, you’ve got to have balance. Every single season I say to myself, ‘What can I do better; how can I get faster?,’ and I take it down to analysing every single stroke.
“It really just comes down to me being competitive. It is not really about racing anyone else; it’s about racing myself (and asking), ‘What’s the best version of myself and how can I get faster?.’ “Ultimately, you want to break world records, so that’s the ultimate goal. No world records today but I debriefed myself after every lap and took the same approach as I would in the pool.’”
CUPRA’S new ambassador joins an array of elite athletes including FC Barcelona football stars Ansu Fati and Marc ter Stegen.
It’s such a big year for me and it’s always nice to take a break from training to switch off for a while.
Adam Peaty