Team GB icon Adam Peaty has revealed his plans to compete at his fourth Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The three-time Olympic gold medallist announced this week that he will turn his attention to LA 2028 after three 50m sprint swimming events were added to the upcoming Olympics programme.
The IOC approved the inclusion of the one-length distance race in breast stroke, butterfly and backstroke this week, with 50m having only been part of the freestyle schedule previously. Peaty, 30, responded to the news in excited fashion, writing on Instagram: “This is the best result for our incredible sport and will allow more people to be part of it and stay in it much longer.
“I’ve got a good feeling about these next three years.” Peaty said the “amazing decision” confirms his bid to swim in LA, where he will look to add 50m breaststroke gold to his glittering collection of six Olympic medals.
It will give the Englishman another major target to aim for, having attributed his re-emergence in the pool to the support he received from his fiancée Holly Ramsay, as well as her celebrity chef father, Gordon. That came after Peaty’s career hit rock bottom amidst a battle with alcoholism which affected his mental health, culminating in the end of his eight-year winning streak at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Describing his struggle with addiction as “three years of hell”, Peaty credits the crucial bond he formed with Ramsay’s daughter for helping him to pull his life back together. The transformative influence of his future father-in-law was also key in swerving his previously wild lifestyle back to that of a dedicated sportsperson.
Peaty, who became engaged to Holly last year, has been open about Gordon’s role in motivating his return to the Paris 2024 Games. He told The Sunday Times in April 2024: “He [Ramsay] is an incredible energy to be around and an incredible person to have that guidance from. Gordon is a high performer.
“He worked his way up to the upper echelons of his industry and works in a place where there’s no bulls***. I take a lot from that and from the professionalism he has every single day with a relentless pursuit.
“So, when I see that, I’m like, ‘yeah, why can’t I work like this? Why can’t I do this every single day? Why do I have to be so emotionally engaged with things?'”
Peaty also appeared on the High Performance podcast earlier this year, where he opened up about his bond with the iconic TV chef. Podcast host Jake Humphrey had shared a heartfelt text from Ramsay showing his true feelings about the Olympian.
The message read: “I want you to know he’s an amazing young man with such a great attitude. Honestly, I could not ask for a more down-to-earth, respectable future son-in-law. What he’s achieved is incredible and he’s not done yet. Looking forward to catching up soon.”
The heartwarming words from his prospective father-in-law moved Peaty, almost bringing him to tears during the podcast. He admitted: “That makes me emotional, I don’t want to cry on the podcast, but it makes me very emotional.
“In this last year or so, seeing how he performs; the balance he has to create in his life with high performance, family life and love, his children, and his wife is incredible.
“I love how he’s already signing me up for LA, but he’s a great father-in-law. Hopefully, next year… We already call it father-in-law and mother-in-law.”
Peaty won silver in the 100m breaststroke at Paris 2024 after clinching gold in the same event at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. He also claimed gold in the 4x100m mixed medley in Tokyo, and has two silvers in the 4x100m medley.
Peaty is also notably the current world record holder in the 50m breaststroke with a time of 25.95 seconds set at the 2017 World Championships.
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