Adam George Peaty (born 28 December 1994) is an English competitiveswimmer who specialises in the sprint breaststroke events. He won the gold medal in the 100 metre breaststroke at the 2016 Summer Olympics, the first by a male British swimmer in 24 years, and retained the title at the 2020 Summer Olympics in 2021, the first British swimmer ever to retain an Olympic title.
He is also an eight-timeWorld Champion, a sixteen-timeEuropean Champion and a four-timeCommonwealth Champion. Between the years 2014 and 2020, Peaty achieved complete dominance in the 100 metre breaststroke in long-course major championships, and almost complete dominance of the 50 metre breaststroke, with onlyCameron van der Burgh. of South Africa's victories in theCommonwealth Games of 2014 and2018 interrupting his reign. According to FINA itself, Peaty is widely regarded as the dominant breaststroke swimmer of his era, and the most dominant sprint breaststroke swimmer of all time.[5]
Peaty is the holder of the world record in 50 metre and 100 metre breaststroke events. He has broken 14 world records, becoming the first man to swim under 26 seconds for the 50 metre breaststroke and the first to swim the 100 metre breaststroke under both 58 and 57 seconds. He is the first swimmer ever to win both sprint breaststroke events at the same World championships, and the most successful British swimmer in a single World Championships.
Peaty is one of only six British swimmers, withDavid Wilkie,Rebecca Adlington,James Guy,Duncan Scott, andTom Dean to have won gold medals at all four major international events (Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth Games), and with David Wilkie the only swimmers to hold all four major gold medals in the same single event at the same time, a feat he completed in winning the 100 metre breaststroke at the 2016 Olympics, and which he uniquely maintained through the 2020 Olympics. Peaty is a six-time Europeanswimmer of the year which he has won consecutively from 2014 to 2019, and also a two-time World swimmer of the year in 2015 and 2018.
Peaty was born on 28 December 1994 inUttoxeter,Staffordshire to Mark and Caroline Peaty, the youngest of four children.[6][7] He attended St Josephs Catholic Primary School in Uttoxeter,[8]Painsley Catholic College inCheadle andDerby College.[9][10] As a young boy, he developed an acute fear of water and was averse to being put in the bath after his brothers told him that sharks may come up through the plughole. At four years of age Peaty and his friend both went on their first swimming lesson together. It was at this swimming lesson where he lost the fear.[6][11][12][13]
Peaty first joined Dove Valley Swimming Club in Uttoxeter when he was nine, and started to win races and setting club records by the time he was twelve.[14] When he was 14, a friend took Peaty to join City of Derby Swimming Club, but the coach at the club, former Olympic swimmer Melanie Marshall, was not impressed by Peaty's performance in the freestyle and put him in the slow lane with younger girls.[15] However, she noticed "something special" the first time she saw him swim breaststroke.[16][17]
She also recognised the advantages of his large hands, big feet, "extraordinary cardiovascular system", and hyper-mobile, double-jointed knees and ankles.[18] According to Peaty, he did not take swimming seriously until he was 17 – he was preparing for a night out drinking with friends when he read thatCraig Benson, whom he knew well from the junior circuit, made the semi-final of the100m breaststroke at the2012 London Olympics. This prompted him to reassess his priorities, and spurred him on to commit fully to swimming and train full-time.[19][20]
"I can't believe it, it's a dream, I've studiedCameron [van der Burgh] for a while–he was my idol, and now he's my rival. I knew I would go off quickly, but I caught him. It is a major stepping-stone for me, and for swimming in the country."
Peaty started training at the City of Derby swimming club in 2007,[22] where he was coached byMelanie Marshall. He also trained up to eight times per week atRepton School, a co-educational boardingindependent school in the village ofRepton inDerbyshire, and two sessions atLoughborough University.[23] He started to train full-time at Loughborough University in 2017.[24] Peaty's first senior event was the2013 European Short Course Swimming Championships where he achieved three personal best times in the three breaststroke events.[25]
At the2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, Peaty entered four events: the50 metre breaststroke, the100 metre breaststroke, the200 metre breaststroke, and the4 × 100 metre medley relay.[9] In the 50 metre breaststroke, Peaty qualified fastest out of the heats, setting a newCommonwealth Games record, before winning his semi-final to qualify second fastest for the final. He eventually finished second in the final with a time of 26.78", 0.02 seconds behind South AfricanCameron van der Burgh.[26] In the 100 metre breaststroke, Peaty set new Commonwealth Games records in the heats, semi-finals and the final, posting a time of 58.94" to win the gold, 0.34 seconds faster than van der Burgh, who finished second.[27] Olympic champion and world record holder van der Burgh was the favourite to win, but Peaty managed a record time for a British man in the event.[21] In the 200 metre breaststroke, Peaty finished in fourth place, 0.15 seconds off a medal position and 2.72 seconds behind first-placed ScotsmanRoss Murdoch.[28] Peaty also won gold in the 4 x 100 metre medley relay with his team ofChris Walker-Hebborn,Adam Barrett andAdam Brown[29]
At the2014 European Championships, Peaty set his first ever world record. After winning his heat of the50 metre breaststroke, he then clocked a new world-record time of 26.62" in the semi-final. He then went on to win gold in the final. He also set a second world record as part of the final of the4 × 100 metre mixed medley relay, along with Walker-Hebborn,Jemma Lowe andFran Halsall, with a time of 3':44.02". He also won the gold in the100 metre breaststroke after winning all 3 of his races and the gold in the4 x 100 metre medley relay along with Walker-Hebborn, Barrett andBen Proud, ending the championships having won gold in 4 out of the 5 events he entered after not qualifying for the final of the200 metre breaststroke. In the2014 World Short Course Championships, he rounded off his year with three silver medals in50 metre breaststroke,100 metre breaststroke and the4 x 50 metre mixed medley relay, but again didn't qualify for the final of the200 metre breaststroke.
In 2015, Peaty's rise continued, breaking the world record for 100 metre breaststroke at the British Championships and World Trials by almost half a second. His time of 57.92 seconds made him the first man to go under 58 seconds for the event.[30] He qualified for all three breaststroke events at the 2015 World Aquatic Championships. At the2015 World Championships, he became a World Champion for the first time.[31]
He won gold in the100 metre breaststroke after winning both his heat and semi-final in new championship records before beating Cameron van der Burgh in the final, with his British team-mate Ross Murdoch winning the bronze medal.[32] In the50 metre breaststroke, van der Burgh broke the world record in the heats, Peaty then broke it once more in the semi-finals with a time of 26.42 seconds.[33] Peaty then won the final of the event, which his second gold of the championship with van der Burgh taking silver. Peaty added a third gold with a win in the4 × 100 metre mixed medley relay with a new world-record time along with Walker-Hebborn,Siobhan-Marie O'Connor and Halsall.[34] His team of Walker-Hebborn,James Guy and Proud finished fourth in the 4 x 100 metre medley relay just missing out on a medal and he did not qualify out of the heats in his weakest event, the200 metre breaststroke. Peaty rounded off his year by winning two silver medals at the2015 European Short Course Swimming Championships in the 50 metre breaststroke and 100 metre breaststroke events.
At the2016 European Championships held in London, Peaty retained both of his individual titles in the50 metre breaststroke and the100 metre breaststroke, comfortably winning all of his heat, semi final and final swims and sharing the podium with his teammate Ross Murdoch on both occasions. He also retained both of his relay titles winning the4 × 100 metre medley relay with Walker-Hebborn, Guy andDuncan Scott, and themixed 4 × 100 metre medley relay with Walker-Hebborn, O'Connor and Halsall. He did not enter the200 metre breaststroke event and as of the Olympics held in 2021[update] had never entered the event again at a major championship.
Peaty only competed in the100 metre breaststroke in the individual events as 50 metre breaststroke was not anOlympic swimming event at the2016 Summer Olympics inRio de Janeiro.[35] In the heats, Peaty broke his own world record with a time of 57.55 seconds.[36] He then won his semi-final and went on to win the final, breaking the new world record that he himself had set in the heats, and winningTeam GB's first gold medal of the 2016 Olympics[37] on 7 August 2016, winning with a time of 57.13 seconds.[38][39] He won a further silver medal in the4 × 100 metre medley relay with Walker-Hebborn, Guy and Scott.[40]
At the2017 World Aquatics Championships, Peaty retained his100 metre breaststroke title. After easily winning his heat and semi-final races, he won in the final winning the race with a championship record of 57.47 seconds.[41] Peaty also broke his own world record twice in the50 metre breaststroke. He recorded 26.10 seconds in the heats, and in the semi-final, he became the first man to break 26 seconds and won in 25.95 seconds.[42] He successfully defended his 50-metre breaststroke title with another sub-26 time of 25.99 seconds in the final, completing another double at the World Championships with van der Burgh taking bronze.[43] He won a further silver in the4 × 100 metre medley relay at the World Championship, setting a new British record, with the same Olympic line-up of Walker-Hebborn, Guy and Scott, but missed out on a medal in the4 x 100 metre mixed medley relay with Davies, Guy and O'Connor despite setting a new European record.[44]
At the2017 European Short Course Swimming Championships, Peaty won a bronze medal in the 50 metre breaststroke with a personal best time and setting a newBritish record. He then went on to win gold in the 100 metre breaststroke setting a newEuropean record in the process, his first ever gold medal at a short course event.[45][46]
At the2018 Commonwealth Games, Peaty defended his100 metre breaststroke title, winning in a time of 58.84 seconds after setting a games record time in the semi-final of 58.59, beating his teammateJames Wilby in to silver medal position and his old rival van der Burgh in to bronze.[47] However, he finished second in the50 metre breaststroke behind van der Burgh, the first time he had failed to win a 50-metre breaststroke race for 4 years since he lost to him at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.[48] He also helped his England team win a silver medal in the4 × 100 metre medley relay withLuke Greenbank, Guy and Proud.[49]
At the2018 European Championships, Peaty once again defended his European title in the100 metre breaststroke, beating his own world record with a time recorded as 57.00 seconds,[50] which was corrected to 57.10" the next day.[51] He added a second gold when he won as part of the team in the4 × 100 metre mixed medley relay withGeorgia Davies, Guy andFreya Anderson,[52] and a third in the50 metre breaststroke setting three championship records in a row to win the gold.[53] He brought his tally at the championships to four golds after winning the4 × 100 metre medley relay as part of the British team withNicholas Pyle, Guy and Scott[54] which made him Britain's first three-time quadruple champion at the European Championships.[55] At the end of the European Championships, he held the eleven best times in history for the 50 metre breaststroke and the fourteen best times in the 100 metre breaststroke.[56]
At the2019 World Aquatics Championships held inGwangju, South Korea, Peaty broke his own world record in the semi-final of the100 metre breaststroke with a time of 56.88", and became the first man to break 57 seconds in the event, before anybody else had swum in under 58 seconds.[57] He retained his 100-metre title in the final, after finishing first in front of his training partner James Wilby.[58] He won the gold in the50 metre breaststroke for the third time, completing the triple double at the World Championships.[59] He also won a bronze in the4 × 100 metre mixed medley relay with Davies, Guy and Anderson.[60] Peaty made this his most successful world championships yet after winning his third gold in the4 × 100 metre medley relay together with Greenbank, Guy and Scott, the first gold won by the British team in this event at the Championships. He helped the team finish first in a European record time of 3 minutes, 28.10 seconds to beat the United States.[61][62]
Peaty competed in theinaugural season of theInternational Swimming League in 2019 and was one of the main supporters for the league's creation.[63] Peaty was chosen as team captain forLondon Roar and helped his team reach the grand final in Las Vegas in which they finished in second place, with Peaty having won four out of the eight individual breaststroke events he competed in.[64]
Due to the worldwideCOVID-19 pandemic both the2020 Olympics and2020 European Championships were postponed until 2021. On 15 November 2020, at the International Swimming League meet inBudapest, Peaty competed as part of the London Roar team. He broke the world record for the short-course 100m breaststroke with a time of 55.49 seconds in the semi-final, which was his first ever world record in short course metres.[65] He then beat his own world record time in the 100m breaststroke one week later, swimming 55.41 seconds in the final.[66] He ended up winning 6 out his 15 individual breaststroke events during the 2020 ISL season, as well as all 3 of the skins races he competed in.[67] In December, Peaty and three fellow 2019 individual world championship medal-winning team-mates were pre-selected for the postponed Tokyo Olympics.[68]
At the 2021 British Swimming Olympic trials, Peaty won the 100m breaststroke title on the opening day of the championships at the London Aquatics Centre in a time of 57.39 seconds.[69][70] In May 2021, he won his fourth successive gold medals in both the100m breaststroke and the50m breaststroke at the European Championships.[71][72] He also won two further golds as part of the team in themixed 4 × 100 metre medley andmen's4 × 100 m medley relays.[73][74]
In July 2021, Peaty became the first British swimmer to defend an Olympic title. He won Britain's first gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games (held in 2021), beatingArno Kamminga of the Netherlands in the100m breaststroke with a time of 57.37 seconds.[75] He won a second gold in themixed 4 × 100 metre medley relay, setting a world record time of 3 minutes 37.58 seconds together withKathleen Dawson,James Guy andAnna Hopkin.[76]
For the2021 International Swimming League, Peaty was selected to the roster for team London Roar by fan vote.[77] While Peaty remained on the regular and playoffs season rosters, he ultimately decided not to compete in the International Swimming League in 2021 as the league had still not paid him all of the money he earned from the 2020 year.[78]
For the 21st century up to the end of 2021, Peaty had set a total of 11 individual world records in short course and long course metres, ranking as number five behindMichael Phelps,Aaron Peirsol,Ryan Lochte, and Cameron van der Burgh in terms of total number of individual world records achieved by a male swimmer in the century.[79]
In March 2022, Peaty signed aprofessional sponsorship deal withSpeedo.[80] Approximately two months later, he announced that due to a fractured foot that required him to rest for 6 weeks, he would not be participating at the2022 World Aquatics Championships held in June in Budapest.[81] Peaty returned to compete in the2022 Commonwealth Games after his injury but was beaten in the final of the 100m breaststroke for the first time in 8 years, finishing fourth behind England team-mate James Wilby and AustraliansZac Stubblety-Cook and Sam Williamson. Peaty later said that he didn't know "what went wrong" and that he has "kind of lost that spark".[82][83] Peaty later went on to win gold in the 50m breaststroke event for the first time at the Commonwealth Games, winning in a time of 26.76 seconds. After the race he said that he has his 'spark back' but did not go on to race in any of the relay events at the championships and also chose to skip the2022 European Championships.[84]
Later in the year, in December at the2022 World Short Course Championships inMelbourne, Australia, Peaty won the bronze medal in the100 metre breaststroke with a time of 56.25 seconds, which was 37-hundredths of a second behind gold medalistNic Fink and 18-hundredths of a second behind silver medalistNicolò Martinenghi, and marked the first medal for Great Britain at the Championships.[85][86] One day earlier in the competition, on 14 December, he helped achieve a fourth-place finish in the4×50 metre mixed medley relay, splitting a 25.24 to contribute to the final mark of 1:37.07, which set a new British record in the event.[87] On 16 December, he placed eighteenth in the200 metre breaststroke with a time of 2:07.31.[88] For his final event of the Championships, the50 metre breaststroke, he finished in a time of 25.99 seconds in the final to place sixth.[89]
After winning the100 metres breaststroke at the2024 Aquatics GB Swimming Championships, Peaty sealed his place at the2024 Summer Olympics.[90] At the2024 Summer Olympics inParis, Peaty won the silver medal in the 100m breaststroke, finishing tied withNic Fink and behindNicolò Martinenghi.[91] It was revealed the next day that Peaty was feeling slightly unwell before the final, and tested positive for Covid the morning after the final.[92]
While Peaty was training at Loughborough University, he met former girlfriend Eirianedd Munro, a student at the university.[93] In April 2020, he announced that the couple were expecting a baby boy.[94][95][96] Their son was born on 11 September 2020.[97] In August 2022, he announced their breakup.[98] He is engaged to Holly Ramsay,[99] daughter of celebrity chefGordon Ramsay. Peaty is afootball fan, and supportsNottingham Forest.[100] Among his many tattoos are an image of the Greek godPoseidon and the year 2016 in Roman numerals (MMXVI).[101]
On 1 April 2016, Peaty started aYouTube channel,[102] to which he published a number of videos; the first one on 14 April 2017 answered somecommon questions about himself.[103] From September to November 2021, Peaty was a contestant on thenineteenth series ofStrictly Come Dancing. Paired with professional dancerKatya Jones, he reached week 7 coming in 9th place overall.[104] For his time, efforts, and ninth-place finish, Peaty earned £40,000 directly.[105] In April 2023, Peaty withdrew from the British Swimming Championships and revealed that he was struggling with hismental health.[106][107] He revealed that he had depression, problems with alcohol, and had been diagnosed withADHD.[108][109]
In an interview with journalist Craig Lord forThe Times in 2023, Peaty revealed that he was taking time away from racing because of the mental-health pressures, demons and doubts he had faced after almost a decade as the fastest breaststroke swimmer in history. He continued to train for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, tellingThe Times: "The physical preparation goes on so my body will be ready to fight again when my heart and mind have caught up. I'll be ready when I need to be ready."[110]
During 2023, Peaty became aChristian after connecting withsports chaplainAshley Null.[111][112] In 2024, he revealed a prominentChristian cross tattoo on his stomach and said, "For me, the only fulfilment and the only peace is every Sunday at church."[113]
Peaty questionedChina's performances at the2024 Summer Olympics, alluding to the cover-up of positive doping cases by Chinese swimmers, and expressing dissatisfaction with theWorld Anti-Doping Agency's efforts to combat cheating in sports.[114]
Peaty is physiologically particularly adapted to swimming the breast stroke; he has been described, likeMichael Phelps, as "an anatomical freak".[115][116] He is tall at 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in), with large hands and feet (shoe size 12), and hashypermobile knees and ankles. As his knees hyperextend he can kick particularly effectively; his ankles help by flexing in a way other people's ankles do not.[115] He has also been described as having an "extraordinary" cardiovascular system.[18]
Peaty received the FINA award forBest Male Swimming Performance of 2015 after he won 3 gold medals at the World Championships in Kazan.[117][118] In 2016, he was again honoured by FINA for the best male Olympic swimming performance of the year award after breaking the 100m breaststroke world record at the 2016 Olympics.[119][120] Peaty has won the Ligue Européenne de Natation (LEN) Award for best male swimmer for three times in four years for his performances in 2016, 2017 and 2019.[121] He was the recipient of the award again in 2021.[122][123]
Peaty was namedMale World Swimmer of the Year bySwimming World Magazine in 2015 and 2018.[124] He also wonMale European Swimmer of the Year for 6 consecutive years from 2014 to 2019.[125] In August 2021, following the close ofswimming at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Peaty and hismixed 4x100 metre medley relay teammates winning the gold medal and setting a new world record in the event was chosen as the number five moment at the 2020 Olympic Games in the sport of swimming byOlympics.com.[126]
For the 2021 year, Peaty received theSportsman of the Year award from theSports Journalists' Association.[127] Peaty was appointedMember of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the2017 New Year Honours[128] andOfficer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the2022 New Year Honours,[129][130] both for services to swimming.
| Meet | 50 breaststroke | 100 breaststroke | 200 breaststroke | 4×100 medley | 4×100 mixed medley |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Junior level | |||||
| EJC 2012 | 12th (h) | 8th (h) | 5th | 4th | — |
| Senior level | |||||
| CG 2014 |  |  | 4th | | — |
| EC 2014 | | | 8th (h) | | |
| WC 2015 | | | 26th | 4th | |
| EC 2016 | | | | | |
| OG 2016 | — | | | — | |
| WC 2017 | | | | 5th | |
| CG 2018 | | | | — | |
| EC 2018 | | | | | |
| WC 2019 | | | |  | |
| EC 2020 | | | | | |
| OG 2020 | — | | | | |
| CG 2022 | | 4th | |||
| WC 2024 | — | | |||
| Meet | 50 breaststroke | 100 breaststroke | 200 breaststroke | 4×50 medley | 4×100 medley | 4×50 mixed medley |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EC 2013 | 11th | 9th (h) | 26th | — | 5th[a] | |
| WC 2014 | | | 14th | 5th | 5th | |
| EC 2015 | | | 13th | — | ||
| EC 2017 | | | 13th | — | ||
| WC 2022 | 6th | | 18th | 4th |
| Event | Time | Meet | Location | Date | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 m breaststroke | 25.95 | sf | 2017 World Aquatics Championships | Budapest,Hungary | 25 July 2017 | WR |
| 100 m breaststroke | 56.88 | sf | 2019 World Aquatics Championships | Gwangju,South Korea | 21 July 2019 | WR |
| 200 m breaststroke | 2:08.34 | 2015British Swimming Championships | London,United Kingdom | 14 April 2015 |
| Event | Time | Meet | Location | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 m breaststroke | 25.41 | 2020 International Swimming League | Budapest,Hungary | 22 November 2020 | NR |
| 100 m breaststroke | 55.41 | 2020 International Swimming League | Budapest,Hungary | 22 November 2020 | CR, FormerWR |
| 200 m breaststroke | 2:02.89 | 2020 International Swimming League | Budapest,Hungary | 21 November 2020 |
| No. | Event | Time | Meet | Location | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 50 metre breaststroke | 26.62 | 2014 European Swimming Championships | Berlin, Germany | 18 August 2014 | Former |
| 2 | 4 × 100 metre mixed medley relay | 3:44.02 | 2014 European Swimming Championships | Berlin, Germany | 19 August 2014 | Former |
| 3 | 100 metre breaststroke | 57.92 | 2015British Swimming Championships | London, United Kingdom | 17 April 2015 | Former |
| 4 | 50 metre breaststroke (2) | 26.42 | 2015 World Swimming Championships | Kazan, Russia | 4 August 2015 | Former |
| 5 | 4 × 100 metre mixed medley relay (2) | 3:41.71 | 2015 World Swimming Championships | Kazan, Russia | 5 August 2015 | Former |
| 6 | 100 metre breaststroke (2) | 57.55 | 2016 Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 6 August 2016 | Former |
| 7 | 100 metre breaststroke (3) | 57.13 | 2016 Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 7 August 2016 | Former |
| 8 | 50 metre breaststroke (3) | 26.10 | 2017 World Swimming Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 25 July 2017 | Former |
| 9 | 50 metre breaststroke (4) | 25.95 | 2017 World Swimming Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 25 July 2017 | Current |
| 10 | 100 metre breaststroke (4) | 57.10 | 2018 European Swimming Championships | Glasgow, United Kingdom | 4 August 2018 | Former |
| 11 | 100 metre breaststroke (5) | 56.88 | 2019 World Swimming Championships | Gwangju, South Korea | 21 July 2019 | Current |
| 12 | 100 metre breaststroke (short course) | 55.49 | 2020 International Swimming League | Budapest, Hungary | 15 November 2020 | Former |
| 13 | 100 metre breaststroke (short course) (2) | 55.41 | 2020 International Swimming League | Budapest, Hungary | 22 November 2020 | Former |
| 14 | 4 × 100 metre mixed medley relay (3) | 3:37.58 | 2020 Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | 31 July 2021 | Current |
| Records | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | World Record Holder Men's 50-metre breaststroke 22 August 2014*–present | Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Preceded by | World Record Holder Men's 100-metre breaststroke 17 April 2015–present | Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Preceded by | World Record Holder Men's 100-metre breaststroke (short course) 15 November 2020–19 December 2020 | Succeeded by |
| Awards | ||
| Preceded by | European Swimmer of the Year 2014–2019 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | World Swimmer of the Year 2015 2018 | Succeeded by |
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