Meet Adam Peaty, British swimming hero and three-time Olympic champ returning for Paris 2024 after extended break
BRITISH hero Adam Peaty will be hoping to replicate his heroics of the last two Olympic Games in Paris.
Peaty is widely considered the best ever men’s breaststroke swimmer in history.
He has a host of medals and accolades to his name, but who is he and what are they?
Who is Adam Peaty?
Peaty is a swimmer who specialises in breaststroke.
He was born in Staffordshire on December 28, 1994 to Mark and Caroline Peaty and is the youngest of four children.
Remarkably Peaty actually had an acute fear of the water until the age of four, in part thanks to his brothers telling him sharks may come up through the plughole.
However, after one swimming lesson, Peaty lost this fear.
Then at the age of 14, former Olympic swimmer Melanie Marshall noticed Peaty had “something special” when it came to swimming breaststroke.
But it was not until age 17, when he saw Craig Benson – a swimmer he knew from the junior circuit – at London 2012 Olympics that Peaty decided to start taking swimming seriously.
Peaty is currently dating Holly Ramsey, the daughter of chef and TV star Gordon Ramsey.
In September 2020, Peaty and then-girlfriend Eirianedd Munro welcomed a baby boy into the world who they called George-Anderson.
Olympic and sporting record
Peaty, now 29, has smashed every breaststroke sprint record and beaten many of his own record times in doing so.
In terms of pure medals, Peaty has won three Olympic gold medals and two silver medals.
Peaty won Team GB‘s first medal on his debut at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in the 100m breaststroke final with a 57.13s, breaking his own world record to do so.
He followed that up with a silver in the men’s 4 x 100m Medley Relay before winning gold in the mixed 4 x 100m Medley Relay.
At the next games Peaty then became a double-Olympic champion with a gold in the 100m breaststroke final before adding another silver in the 4 x 100m Medley Relay.
His victory also made him the first British swimmer to successfully defend an Olympic title.
As well as Olympic glory, Peaty has also won numerous medals at both the European Championship and Commonwealth Games.
In total, he has won 31 gold, six silver and two bronze medals across the four competitions since 2014.
If his medal haul wasn’t impressive enough, Peaty has also beat world records 14 times.
This includes beating the 100m breaststroke five times – current record 56.88 seconds – and the 50m four times – current record 57.10 seconds.
Personal life and career setbacks
Peaty’s remarkable career has had it’s share of setbacks.
In 2022 a broken foot injury kept him out of the World Championships, though he did go on to win the British Championship’s later that year.
In 2023, Peaty revealed he was stepping away from swimming for mental health reasons.
Former partner Eirianedd revealed earlier this year that Peaty had been struggling with depression and alcoholism.
However, in October 2023 he announced he would be returning to compete in the Olympics.
He told The Independent in a candid interview: “I pretty much hated it. But now I’m enjoying it so much again.
“I’m the happiest I’ve ever been and the most calculated and balanced too.
“[Paris 2024] It’s a great challenge, and I thrive when given a great challenge. I’m looking for my final form, in terms of everything. My life and my relationships with people too.
“But when I get there, hopefully, I give my best performance. No stone is left unturned; that’s my goal. No regrets.”
In 2022 Peaty starred on TV show Strictly Come Dancing, and was also awarded an OBE that year.
Peaty’s mother has urged him to retire from swimming after the Paris Games.
She told the BBC: “He [used to be] very focused, very insular and not very much for family. Swimming always came first, which it [had] to do.
“But I know that he’s happy, he’s in the place he wants to be now and he’s more secure. He’s ready as he’ll ever be.
“Knowing your child is suffering no matter how old they are is difficult.
“Adam is very happy now – I think he’s a better Adam personally than what he was before, the break has done him good.”
She added: “He’s going in to the Olympics not stressed, he’s happy – what’ll be will be
“He has an open mind on whether this is his last Olympics. I hopefully want him to finish swimming and to have some kind of normality now.”
Depression... the signs to look for and what to do
Depression can manifest in many ways.
We all feel a bit low from time to time.
But depression is persistent and can make a person feel helpless and unable to see a way through.
They may also struggle to about daily life.
Mind says these are some common signs of depression that you may experience:
How you might feel
- Down, upset or tearful
- Restless, agitated or irritable
- Guilty, worthless and down on yourself
- Empty and numb
- Isolated and unable to relate to other people
- Finding no pleasure in life or things you usually enjoy
- Angry or frustrated over minor things
- A sense of unreality
- No self-confidence or self-esteem
- Hopeless and despairing
- Feeling tired all the time
How you might act
- Avoiding social events and activities you usually enjoy
- Self-harming or suicidal behaviour
- Difficulty speaking, thinking clearly or making decisions
- Losing interest in sex
- Difficulty remembering or concentrating on things
- Using more tobacco, alcohol or other drugs than usual
- Difficulty sleeping, or sleeping too much
- No appetite and losing weight, or eating more than usual and gaining weight
- Physical aches and pains with no obvious physical cause
- Moving very slowly, or being restless and agitated
If you feel this way, visit your GP who can help you.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support.
The following are free to contact and confidential:
- Samaritans, www.samaritans.org, 116 123, jo@samartiands.org.uk
- CALM (the leading movement against suicide in men) www.thecalmzone.net, 0800 585 858
- Papyrus (prevention of young suicide) www.papyrus-uk.org, 0800 068 41 41
- Shout (for support of all mental health) www.giveusashout.org/get-help/, text 85258 to start a conversation
Mind, www.mind.org, provide information about types of mental health problems and where to get help for them. Email info@mind.org.uk or call the infoline on 0300 123 3393 (UK landline calls are charged at local rates, and charges from mobile phones will vary).
YoungMinds run a free, confidential parents helpline on 0808 802 5544 for parents or carers worried about how a child or young person is feeling or behaving. The website has a chat option too.
Rethink Mental Illness, www.rethink.org, gives advice and information service offers practical advice on a wide range of topics such as The Mental Health Act, social care, welfare benefits, and carers rights. Use its website or call 0300 5000 927 (calls are charged at your local rate).