Adam Wilkie, a 33-year-old marketing manager, has quit his desk job in a bid to match the world-record time set by his father, British Olympic swimming great David Wilkie, 50 years ago. David Wilkie won gold in the 200m breaststroke at the 1976 Montreal Games with a time of two minutes and 15.11 seconds.
Adam has given himself a year to emulate his father's feat, doing so for charity and in memory of David, who died from cancer in 2024. 'He would think I am mad because he knows how hard it was,' Adam said. 'But I think he would be proud that his son is trying to do something to remember him.'
Now training full-time with a professional coach, Adam will have access to facilities and sports science from Aquatics GB, despite never having been an elite swimmer. 'I work in marketing, I stand behind this desk most days. I’m not a swimmer,' he said, admitting he was 'scared of water' as a child. 'I’ve got the genetics, but do I have the rest of it? Maybe not.'
Adam hopes to travel to some of the pools his father swam in, including in Sri Lanka and potentially Montreal. Through his journey, he will raise money for SportsAid, which supports young athletes. He will begin his challenge by setting an initial time at the Aquatics GB Swimming Championships this weekend.
'It's going to be the hardest thing I've ever done,' Adam said. 'It's going to be incredibly painful at points... But I'm trying to pay homage to my father, keep his memory alive in my own mind and test myself.'
