When my son was born, I thought: This will make me slower now!
Adam Peaty on his role as an athlete and father as he aims to show he’s still the daddy
WHEN Adam Peaty was up the creek, he got himself a paddle. The Team England swimmer’s hopes of competing at his home Commonwealth Games looked in tatters in May when he broke his foot in the gym. But while the injury kept Peaty out of the pool for six weeks, he found another way to train on water — in a boat.
The idea came from Peaty’s coach Mel Marshall, who arranged for him to work out with British Canoeing and learn to paddle a kayak. It kept the triple Olympic champion in shape while he was wearing his protective boot but, more importantly, it helped alleviate boredom as he recovered from the first significant injury of his glittering career.
‘You need to change it up completely and I found a way,’ says Peaty. ‘It was important for my health and mental wellbeing to try something new and be in a completely different environment.
‘British Canoeing accepted me — and laughed at me a few times as well! But in about four weeks, I got down to a K1 on my own. Canoeing on your own might not sound that impressive, but when your a*** is on each side because the boat is so thin, it’s very impressive!’
From making waves in a canoe, Peaty is now ready to create a splash at Birmingham 2022. He could come away with four gold medals — in the 50metres and 100m breaststroke, as well as the 4x100m men’s and mixed medley relays. And while many may question the value of the Commonwealth Games, it is of utmost importance for Peaty, especially because of where it is being held.
‘I live in the Midlands and I will probably die in the Midlands,’ says Uttoxeter-born Peaty. ‘Birmingham is 50 minutes from my home, so this is as close to home as it’s ever going get for me. If I could swear, I would swear, I’m that excited.’
The Commonwealths also hold a special place in Peaty’s heart because it was where he first made his name aged 19. Swimming in his first senior championships at Glasgow 2014, he stunned South African Olympic champion Cameron van der Burgh to win gold in the 100m breaststroke. Peaty has not been beaten over that distance since.
‘I was a lot more nervous in 2014,’ says Peaty, 27. ‘I went into those Games as a complete underdog. I just thought, “I’m going to go to these championships and try and make the next Olympics and see where it goes”.
‘I was already wondering about what I was going to do after swimming, expecting it to be the next year or two years that I’d retire from it and get a real job. But I’m still going and still loving it.’
And Peaty has no intention of retiring any time soon. He has his sights set on the next Olympics in Paris in two years’ time and even Los Angeles in 2028.
But he is not just chasing more medals. He is also still pursuing what he calls ‘Project Immortal’ — his bid to set a 100m breaststroke time that can never be beaten. His world record of 56.88sec set in 2019 already feels impregnable, yet Peaty is not satisfied.
‘The next two years are about trying to get down to the 56s again and this is the start,’ says Peaty, who is going into Birmingham ‘blindfolded’ having missed last month’s World Championships and not raced since April.
‘I don’t think 56.88 will be touched for a while. But I’m talking about ever — and I wouldn’t be swimming if I knew that I couldn’t break the world record again.
‘It’s just not enough for me to stay in a sport and win. I’m all about human excellence, pushing the body and mind as far as it can go. That is extremely tough but I thrive in those uncomfortable moments. So I’m still going to go for it. It is going to be a two-year mission now to get that perfect performance in Paris and also push for that world record.’
Unlike when he last broke the world record in 2019, Peaty now has to juggle his pool pursuits with parenthood. It is a balancing act he admits he struggled with when his son George was born in 2020.
Peaty says: ‘I remember those first few weeks where he wasn’t sleeping, I was like, “It’s going to make me slower. How am I going to win the Olympics?
‘When you have had kids, it’s like, “What has just hit me? Especially as an athlete, which is a very selfish job. But like anything, the human brain and body adapt and I love every single moment. It is a very difficult balance but I’ve now got the balance right and it works.’
George will be at the Sandwell Aquatics Centre to watch his dad swim in a major championships for the first time. And after the empty stadiums of last summer’s Olympics in Tokyo where he won two golds, Peaty is excited to be performing in front of a packed house.
‘Over the last two years, that has been taken away from us as athletes,’ he added. ‘Some athletes might find it easier to perform in front of no one, but I really feel the true athletes do in front of anyone.
‘I like walking out there with my head up and embracing the crowd. I can’t wait to see those England flags.’