When Adam Peaty got to the creek, he got a paddle. The Team England swimmer’s hopes of competing in the Commonwealth Games at home seemed shattered in May when he broke his foot at the gym. But while the injury kept Peaty out of the pool for six weeks, he found another way to train on the water — in a boat.
The idea came from Peaty’s coach Mel Marshall, who arranged for him to do British canoeing and learn how to kayak. It kept the three-time Olympic champion in shape while wearing his protective boot, but more importantly, it helped ease the boredom as he recovered from the first major injury of his glittering career.
“You have to turn it around and I’ve found a way,” Peaty says. “For my health and mental well-being, it was important to try something new and be in a completely different environment.
‘British Canoeing accepted me – and laughed at me a few times too! But in about four weeks I got to a K1 on my own. Canoeing on your own may not sound very impressive, but standing on either side because the boat is so thin is quite impressive!’
Adam Peaty is eager to compete in up to four events at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham
From making waves in a canoe, Peaty is now set to make a splash in Birmingham 2022. He could get away with four gold medals – in the 50m and 100m breaststroke, as well as the 4x100m men and mixed medley. And while many question the value of the Commonwealth Games, it is of utmost importance to Peaty, especially because of the place where it is held.
“I live in the Midlands and I will probably die in the Midlands,” says Peaty, a native of Uttoxeter. ‘Birmingham is 50 minutes from my house, so this is as close to home as possible for me. If I could swear, I would swear, I’m so excited.’
The Commonwealths also hold a special place in Peaty’s heart as he first made his name here when he was 19. At his first senior championships in Glasgow 2014, he stunned South African Olympic champion Cameron van der Burgh and won gold in the 100m breaststroke. Peaty hasn’t been beaten at that distance since.
‘In 2014 I was much more nervous,’ says Peaty, 27. ‘I went to those Games as a complete underdog. I just thought, “I’m going to go to these championships and try to get to the next Olympics and see where it goes”.
“I was already wondering what I was going to do after swimming, expecting that in a year or two I would quit and get a real job. But I still go and I still love it.’
Peaty has been forced to wear a protective boot since he broke his right foot in an incident in May
And Peaty has no plans to retire anytime soon. He has his sights set on the next Olympics in Paris in two years and even Los Angeles in 2028.
But he’s not just chasing more medals. He’s also still striving for what he calls “Project Immortal” – his attempt to set a 100-meter breaststroke time that can never be matched. His 2019 world record of 56.88 seconds already feels impregnable, but Peaty is still not satisfied.
“The next two years will be all about trying to make it back to 56’s and this is the start,” said Peaty, who enters Birmingham “blindfolded” after missing last month’s World Championships and having not raced since April .
“I think 56.88 won’t be touched for a while. But I’m talking about someday — and I wouldn’t swim if I knew 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 for human excellence, pushing the body and mind as far as it can go. That’s extremely hard, but I thrive in those awkward moments. So I’m still going for it. It will now be a two-year mission to get that perfect performance in Paris and also go for that world record.’
Peaty with his son, George, born in 2020. The Team England swimmer has no retirement plans
Unlike the last time he broke the world record in 2019, Peaty now has to combine his pool activities with parenthood. It’s a balancing act he struggled with when his son George was born in 2020.
Peaty says, “I remember those first few weeks when he didn’t sleep, I thought, ‘It’ll slow me down. How am I going to win the Olympics?
“If you’ve had kids, it’s like, ‘What just happened to me? Especially as an athlete, which is a very selfish job. But like everything, the human brain and body adapt and I enjoy every moment. It’s a very difficult balance, but I have the right balance now and it works.’
George will be at the Sandwell Aquatics Center to see his father swim in a major championship for the first time. And after the empty stadiums of last summer’s Olympics in Tokyo, where he won two golds, Peaty is delighted to perform to a packed house.
“Over the past two years, that has taken away from us as athletes,” he added. “Some athletes may find it easier not to perform for anyone, but I really feel like real athletes do that for everyone.
“I like walking up there with my head up and hugging the crowd. I can’t wait to see those flags of England.’