HIS MIND

ADAM likens swimming to hand-tohand combat and has developed an intricate routine to get him in the right mood for a race.

Before competing, he drinks a shot of caffeine, then puts his headphones on and listens to aggressive ‘grime’ — a form of urban rap music — to get in the mood. ‘ Grime reminds me that swimming is gladiatorial,’ he says. ‘I believe in the mindset. I love it.’

Walking out to race, he carries lucky charms in his chest pocket: a horseshoe from Uttoxeter and a Roman medallion from the Vatican, on the grounds that he’s ‘a bit superstitious’.

It certainly seems to work: His reaction time, after the starting gun is fired, is typically less than half a second, quicker than it takes the average person to blink.