Adam Peaty managed to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games after winning the British Swimming Championships by achieving a record time in the 100 meters breaststroke. With this victory, the Englishman hopes to seek the gold medal in the next Olympic event.
This victory, despite this, was not just another one for the 29-year-old swimmer. since it was his return to the big stages in competitions after overcoming what was one of the strongest battles of his life, precisely against alcoholism and depression, reasons why at the time he was forced to be out of the waters for a long time.
Peaty won much more than a championship and classification
Peaty then decided to focus fully once again and seek help to deal with it in the best way possible. his mental health problems and was able to return to optimal performance in competitions. After winning the British Championship with a time of 57.94 in the test, Peaty spoke and shared the following impressions of him about it: “We have overcome the last three years of hell. I never wanted to see a swimming pool again. “Sport had destroyed me.”
“I didn’t know which way to go and many things got in my way, but now I wake up every day and I enjoy my work. Who knows what the ending will be, but I’m having fun along the way. It may not end like a fairy tale, but it could be,” she said regarding what she thinks the Olympic event in the city of Paris will bring.
Paris 2024 on the horizon
The British also commented on his participation in the Paris Olympics 2024 and said the following: “I think a 57.9 is very good, it is still not where I want to be, but it is the first solid result. I felt very light in the water. “This is a true victory for my team, my family and me.”
Peaty’s time was the fastest recorded after the Olympic Games. of Tokyo 2020, where the Englishman was able to win two gold medals, in the 100-meter breaststroke and in the mixed relay, a silver medal in the men’s relay that was of great help for the overall medal table in Great Britain.
Competing at a high level
The British began to make a lot of noise in the middle of his participation in the Commonwealth Games in 2014. In this competition he was able to win the gold medal in the 100m and the 4×100 meters combined. Since then, the Staffordshire native has won a total of three Olympic gold medals and two silver medals in total. In Rio 2016 he won gold in the 100 meters and was able to set a record of 57.55 seconds.
There is a story about the difficult times in Peaty’s life
In 2020, Peaty opened up about his personal problems and decided to speak out: “After the Commonwealths, towards the end of the year, I didn’t have any races. And when it comes to the off-season and partying and drinking, that’s a depressant in itself, so I was doing that a lot,” he said in an interview with Daily Mail. “In a way, I didn’t go off the rails, but I didn’t really have to. that overwhelming motivation to act on something,” added the Olympic swimmer.
Along these lines, in 2023 he reappeared before the public and commented that his faith was what helped him to be able to overcome his mental health problems and to be where he is right now athletically and personally: “I go to church every Sunday. It’s been the last few months and it’s definitely helped me. It’s about being a better person. Not only to be a better athlete and fulfill my gift, but also to be a better father to George. There are many other reasons. It’s pretty deep. But it’s great to be a part of it.”
In addition to his five Olympic medal wins, Peaty is an eight-time world champion and one of the swimmers who holds world records in the 50 and 100 meter breaststroke. A great proof of his improvement in and out of the pools were the two bronze medals that he won in 2024 at the Doha World Cup.
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