“Not Bothered About the Medals”: Returning After Mental Health Break, Adam Peaty Pens Down Heartfelt Thread 8 Months Before Paris Olympics

The Swimming World Cup 2023 commenced with a mind-blowing competition between the top athletes. The meet began October 6 in Berlin and the swimming have already delved into hair-raising showdowns between the best swimmers in the world. Among these athletes was a 100-meter breaststroke Olympic champion from Great Britain, Adam Peaty. He is on the Olympic path once more in 2023 but has faced a huge setback on his way back to the elite competition. 

Adam Peaty experienced a major upset at the hands of the Chinese firecracker Qin Haiyang in the 100-meter breaststroke finals on Day 1 of the World Cup’s Berlin meet. Peaty had put in a lot of hard work to regain his mental stability and clarity in order to return to his beloved sport. In a heartfelt post, the 100-meter breaststroke world record holder expressed his feelings after the harrowing loss. 

Adam Peaty’s journey to mental wellness and Olympic glory

The 28-year-old British Olympic champion looked a lot different from the start of the year. Gone were the days of nervous and fidgety pre-race rituals, replaced by a sense of calm and composure. In an exclusive with Swimming World Magazine, Adam Peaty said he is “not bothered about the medals or the gold…For the first time in my life, I’m bothered about the challenge to myself, to prove to myself that I can come from the lowest point of my career”. The British superstar was going through a very tough time recently and took some time off from swimming to re-assess his priorities. 

As an elite swimmer, Adam Peaty was always chasing after the medals but no matter how many golds he collected, the bottomless pit of his desire still seemed empty. As a result of this competitive fire, he was alienating the people who mattered the most in his life. His son George and his family were moving far away from his realm. He did not like the feeling of loneliness and considered quitting the sport forever. However, he overcame this bout of depression at the start of the year, but the shadow of gloom had lurked over him all season. 

Adam Peaty’s losses stacking up till the Swimming World Cup 2023

Adam Peaty has still to recover his former peak form, and he has dived into the competition to keep the momentum up for the upcoming Olympics. In the year preceding his breakdown, the British sensation encountered one loss after another. His first defeat in his signature 100-meter breaststroke came at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. Thereafter, he sustained a serious foot injury, losing him the spot at the World Championships. He could not resurrect his run at the World Short-Course Championships and had to settle for the bronze. 

Read More: Disappointment Continues to Haunt Adam Peaty’s Career as Qin Haiyang Destroys the 5x Olympics Champion at Swimming World Cup 2023

In 2023, he sat out most of the season and watched his rivals make waves in the swimming competitions. In an effort to restart his swimming career and enter the 2024 Paris Olympics with his head held high, Adam Peaty began training at the Loughborough National Training Centre earlier this year. But as the race unfolded, he was left in the dust of Qin Haiyang. The Chinese star made his mark by recording the World Cup record in the 100-meter breaststroke with 57.69 seconds. Meanwhile, Adam Peaty came sixth, but his resilience has inspired more than his speed in the pool. 

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