Adam Peaty: Swimming broke me but I am finding peace in the water now

In London on Tuesday night for nearly 58 seconds, it appeared as if nothing had transformed since the Tokyo Olympics took place three years ago.

Adam Peaty was completely dominating his competitors in the breaststroke race with a remarkable time of 57.94 seconds. This is the quickest time achieved globally in this year, and it underlines his frightening potential to perform even better in Paris. He might even break his previous world record that has stood for five years.

However, the actual situation has been quite dissimilar.

Peaty stated that he had experienced a tough time over the last three years. He had suffered from a variety of setbacks since winning his second and third Olympic gold medals in 2021. These events have included an appearance on Strictly Come Dancing, breaking his foot, experiencing his first defeat in eight years, being diagnosed with ADHD, issues related to alcohol consumption, personal struggles, depression, finding a connection with religion, and falling in love with Holly Ramsay, the daughter of celebrity chef Gordon. As a result, Peaty had become disillusioned with the sport of swimming and felt that he didn't want to be near a pool again.

By reconsidering his retirement decision countless times, he is now in top shape and determined to achieve Olympic greatness by following in Michael Phelps' footsteps. He aims to become the second swimmer ever to win the same event at three consecutive Olympic Games.

Although there are still some challenges that need to be overcome, particularly with the impressive performance of Chinese swimmer Qin Haiyang in the 100m event, the victory of Peaty in the British Championship held at the London Aquatics Centre is a noteworthy accomplishment that would have been noticed by the global breaststroke community.

The victory margin wasn't the highlight, but rather swimming under 58 seconds for the first time since Tokyo. It's a huge improvement from winning a bronze medal with a time of 59.10 seconds in the world championship back in January.

Mel Marshall, who is Peaty's coach, is making sure that he is in top form in 118 days. They believe that there is still room for improvement. Peaty himself thinks that he is not completely back yet and that there is a second step to take.

To provide background, he set a world record of 56.88 seconds in 2019, which is nearly a second faster than the current record. However, the more interesting standard at the moment is Haiyang, who at 24 years old, managed to beat his personal record last year with a time of 57.64 seconds. He will likely aim to improve even more in the next year.

Get ready for an exciting battle in Paris as the 2023 world champion from China and Peaty, a double Olympic champion, face off. Peaty has realized that there's more to life than just winning and has gained a new perspective.

Peaty stated that in the past, he would have felt let down after a swim like that. However, he has since learned to value his successes and see them as moments of greatness. Peaty is content with his performance as he executed it flawlessly. What excites him the most is his newfound sense of tranquillity in the water. In the past, he would feel frustrated or irritated when swimming, and he would fight to win. But now, he has found peace in the water instead of aggression. This is great progress for Peaty. Additionally, his win has secured his spot at the Olympics.

I'm discovering a different side of me that I'm genuinely enjoying, and I believe that side has the potential to excel in the Olympic games.

My team, my loved ones, and I have achieved a significant victory. Initially, I faced an obstacle of not being sure which path to choose, and numerous hurdles blocked my way. Nevertheless, presently, I wake up every day feeling content in my job. Although the outcome is uncertain, I am relishing the journey.

After coming in second behind Peaty, James Wilby fell short of qualifying with a time of 59.45 seconds by a mere 0.02 seconds. However, he still has a chance to make the cut as one of up to 30 swimmers that Aquatics GB can nominate following the end of the championships on Sunday.