Adam Peaty returns to the London Aquatics Centre today as he targets a fourth Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028. The three-time Olympic champion, 31, considered quitting the sport before the Paris Games and again after winning silver there, but the addition of the 50m breaststroke to the 2028 schedule has reignited his ambition.
Peaty, who married Holly Ramsay, daughter of TV chef Gordon Ramsay, in December, joked about his father-in-law’s wedding speech. 'It was always going to be hard to beat Gordon's speech,' he said. 'He was able to bring the room together because that's what a wedding is in my eyes.'
The swimmer described his married life as giving 'an incredible amount of peace' and credited his wife, son and friends for making his path easier. He also praised Gordon Ramsay’s athletic achievements, saying he looks up to him in sport because 'he knows the game is the game, that it doesn't lie'.
Peaty, who contracted coronavirus before the Paris final and was beaten to gold by Italy’s Nicolo Martinenghi, said the next two years will be the hardest of his career. 'There probably won't be much winning, but the one win that matters is LA,' he told the BBC, comparing the Olympic standard to 'tasting an amazing steak and then having to go back to a McDonald's burger'.
Having previously struggled with mental health, describing a 'self-destructive spiral', Peaty remains confident he can avoid similar issues. He emphasised that sport has given him invaluable skills for life, adding: 'With sport giving me what it has given, the price is the price.'
Peaty competes in both the 50m and 100m breaststroke at this week’s British Championships, a key step towards the Commonwealth Games, World and European Championships, and ultimately LA 2028.
