ADAM PEATY

Loughborough-based Olympian Adam Peaty capped another incredible year in the pool with an OBE for services to swimming.

Peaty became the first British swimmer to retain an Olympic title with a characteristically dominant display in the final of the men’s 100 metres breaststroke, claiming his country’s first gold medal at Tokyo 2020.

While Peaty was unable to break his own world record of 56.88 seconds, he still chalked up the fifth fastest time in the event’s history as he defended the crown he first won in Rio five years earlier.

He was awarded an MBE in the 2016 New Year Honours list and has been recognised once more following his exploits in Japan, where he took home another gold in the mixed 4x100m medley relay and silver in the men’s equivalent.

Having turned 27 this week, and following a short break post-Tokyo, in which he competed in the popular BBC programme Strictly Come Dancing, Peaty is already looking at a ‘three-peat’ in the event he has come to dominate.

Not only that, Peaty revealed that as he prepares for Paris 2024, he and coach Mel Marshall have developed Project Immortal, an attempt to record a time that will never be topped by anyone. As the only person to swim sub-57 seconds, with his current benchmark almost a full second quicker than anyone else in history, few would bet against Peaty, who finished third at the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year. “More than ever we have to kind of attack,” Peaty added. “I know where I need to be to get to Project Immortal.”