The DARK SIDE Of Becoming The BEST IN THE WORLD (Adam Peaty's Story)

There's no better feeling than being next to someone and going head to head, stroke for stroke. Adam Peaty isn't just a swimmer, he's a phenomenon. With multiple Olympic gold medals, world records, and an unbroken dominance in the 100 meter breaststroke, he has redefined what it means to be fast in the water. You never know when you become good until you've won it. So 2014 was my first Commonwealth Gold. But believe me, it's not just the titles that make him special, his relentless pursuit of excellence and his drive to inspire future generations are what truly set him apart. You never know what's around the corner. You never know if this hard work is going to pay off now or it's going to pay off in five years. But as long as you keep trying, as long as you keep staying true to your values, staying happy, finding that wellness between your own brain and body, that's the most important thing. Most people heard his name for the first time in 2016 during the Rio Olympics. We've got this world champion Olympic gold medalist Adam Peaty. Didn't stop Adam Peaty from winning gold. Of gold for Adam Peaty. He's so dominant. Inspired by Adam Peaty. He's got the top 20 tides ever in his distance. But before he became a legend in the water, Adam was just an English kid from Utoxeter that was terrified of swimming. His story of transformation is nothing short of extraordinary. So let's start from the beginning. And I was someone who was always afraid of water. That is no lie. This would be my biggest fear that I'd go in and not be able to swim. But then as soon as I started doing swimming lessons, my mom just chucked me in. As you do, the old school way of just go in, deep end first and get used to it. But I've always loved the connection with the water. I've always loved the silence that it brings. But also for me, I'm a hardcore competitive person. So 14, I didn't do any mornings. I didn't even know morning sessions existed. But I think that gave me a lot more towards the end of my career, even now, because I'm not burnt out. I think I became self-aware at about 14, 15 that I had this one opportunity and I wasn't going to let opportunities slip from my hands. I knew you needed a lot of hard work, a lot of resilience, but also you needed to almost reverse engineer. So 2014 was my first Commonwealth Gold. Two weeks later, I broke the world record in the 50 meter breaststroke. And then it was a year after that, I broke the world record in 100 meter and then 2016. Then came Rio, the Olympics. The stakes were monumental and Adam was up against the world's best. So many people expected me to fall and go under pressure or bottle it because I was young, it was my first Olympic Games. And I touched the wall and I knew I'd won because I could see underwater, like there was no splash either side. And I touched the wall and I was just like, please, I haven't got DQ'd. Please just turn the wall and, you know, Adam Peaty first. And then I didn't expect the world record again because I only broke it the day before and I narrowly did it again in the semi-final. And I looked around and I saw world record 57.13. I saw Adam Peaty first, got on the lane rope. And as soon as I did this, it was no splashing really, it was just relief and just pure emotion of that journey that had been so hard to do. But it shows you that, again, all that hard work, it's what's around the corner. But you've still got to keep going and you still got to believe in yourself. And that was my favorite moment, even to this day. Fast forward to today, Adam has revolutionized breaststroke. His focus isn't just on brute strength, but on perfecting every technical detail, which has made him the most dominant breaststroker in recent years. At some point, Peaty had set the top 20 times in the 100-meter breaststroke, a feat no one else can claim. Adam's breaststroke is a masterclass in efficiency, power, composure, and technique. Breaststroke is a very technical stroke because it's not just about how well you grip the water and how well you manipulate it round. It's all about the timing. So I focus a lot on the timing, when to kick and when to pull, when to glide, the head position. But mainly, it's all about the catch for me. Because on our clinics, I always say, the front of the stroke is like the steering wheel. The legs are the engine. So without the engine or without the steering wheel, you're not going to be in a bad place. So for me, it's all about the steering, making sure it's going in the right direction, getting enough height. Head position is very important for me. But also trying, it's almost like a skimming stone, trying to be on top of that water as much as possible. Because as soon as we start to do this, we're losing time. So we just want to surf across the water with as much power and efficiency as possible. I like how you put like surf on top of the water. I do video analysis and some of my most popular videos are on your breaststroke technique and breaking down some of the elements. Firstly, I appreciate all the analysis. I've seen some of the videos and you're spot on with that. It's, I guess, when I'm racing, it's that perfect balance between technique, composure and power. So I need to use power to my strength. It's my biggest strength. It always has been that kind of aggression side of things. But also with that technique across the water. So technically, it's about how wide you are in the water. So if I'm pulling this stroke now and I'm too wide on my arms, or I'm too wide on my legs, the bigger I am as well, the more muscle I've got, the more water I'm going to hit. So there's also a technical aspect of reducing as much muscle, but trying to create as much power. So it's quite a complicated formula to peak at the right time. But yeah, I mean, I did change all the timing. I did change a lot of how brush it was done. And I think a lot of people, obviously, trying to follow that same model now of power, efficiency, composure. You know, we're seeing it all the time now in every stroke. But Adam's mission goes beyond breaking records. Today, he's focused on inspiring the next generation through AP race and community initiatives. No person under 14 should be doing mornings. And I stick by that completely. And I stick by what the US do with no tech suits up to a certain age. The foundation of anything that you pursue should be love and should be enjoyment. And that is why this sport has such a big drop off of these athletes who are giving absolutely everything, because rightly so, they want to chase those 1%. But actually, we need to protect them 14 to 17, because there's a 70% drop off rate in the United Kingdom. So how do we retain that? And that is our mission now to help guide that. From clinics to international events, Adam's building a legacy that ensures swimming remains accessible and exciting for all. I think a lot of athletes could do a lot better of giving back to the grassroots and showing these young ones that we've got swimming behind us, you know, how it's done and what's the mentality. And that's what we do at the AP Race Line International. We give really good prize money. We put on a very good show. We invest hugely into that for the other athletes to experience something new every single year. And we're changing every single year. So we're constantly on the edge of our own performance, but also how can we help the community as much as possible as well. But even champions hit walls. In 2023, Adam faced burnout. But true to his nature, he found a way to recalibrate. So every single decision, cake or fruit, you know, every single decision I made up to that point was about performance. That kind of mentality for all my life has got me the medals, but it's also cost me the medals at the same time. I wasn't even enjoying them now. I was just looking at two months ahead, three months ahead, four months ahead next year. And it cost me. It really did. And I got to a place where I didn't even want to look at a pool. It's an incredibly hard way to live this career and this life. And that led me to a burnout in 2023. You know, when I broke down, I hated the sport, that I was never going to be in that position no matter what. But I think it's more about balance and perspective. See, in this industry and sport, we're defined on outcomes. We're not really ever defined on the journey. You know, sometimes we're fortunate enough to appreciate the journey. But I said to myself into Paris that that was all about the journey. It was all about the happiness and how much can I hopefully inspire people and bring people up no matter what the outcome is. And I wasn't ever disappointed because I had such a good time on the journey. Of course, I would love to go to the win. You know, I'm a competitive person, but sport is about self and self-improvement. But it's all about the community and seeing other people succeed as well. Adam Peaty isn't just swimming fast. He's swimming smart. He's swimming for a purpose, his vision, a sport that's more inclusive, more innovative, and more inspiring. We want to be a driver for positive change, for sure. And what that positive change is going to be is going to change every single year, I'm sure, because it's perception of other people. But I mean, again, it comes back to our foundation. We've got to protect the joy, we've got to protect the love, protect the passion of the young ones. So I think if we can narrow down that retention of losing 70% of swimmers from 13 years old, firstly, that'll be a huge success for us. If we can make the international from London, we can take it to Abu Dhabi, we can take it to America, we can take it to the Far East. That's another project for us. I think in the end, you want to be very proud of what you've built and that the community has benefited from it. This is absolutely necessary for the survival of the sport because sport is changing and the way we see competitions and the work ethic of changing with these kids as well. And if we can make it a little bit more exciting to watch, a little bit more engaging for the people involved, and a lot more rewarding for those people who do make it out of the sport, I think that'll be a huge success for us. I want to be very proud in 10 years' time where we can fund athletes through that. That's our biggest goal, that we can take a kid just like myself who fell through the gaps of financial because I didn't come from a wealthy family at all, you know, borderline poverty in that sense. So what about those kids? What if I fell through the cracks and didn't want to do it because I couldn't afford it? So if we can help that in the long term, that's our job done really. Adam Peaty, the man who conquered the pool and now is changing swimming forever. If he inspired you to be the best version of yourself and to really invest in your swimming skills, click the link in the description below and book a call with one of our expert coaches. But for now, here's one last valuable lesson from him. I've always said that to find true happiness from self, firstly, is to look yourself in the mirror and be proud of the values you live by. But also, a lot of happiness comes from the relationships with the people around you. And then you can start to build the purpose. Find that purpose and make sure it's strong enough that it's going to override the 4 a.m.s or 5 a.m.s, 6 a.m.s so you do get out of bed and you do give your 110% effort. Hopefully those people around you will guide you in the right way.