Fall 2024
Olympics Swimming

British swimmer Adam Peaty wins silver after mental health struggles, finds peace in church

By Kevin Mercer Jul 29, 2024
Britain's Princess Anne, left, congratulates swimmer Adam Peaty of Great Britain after winning the silver medal in the men's 100m breaststroke final at the Paris Olympics, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

One of the marquee events on Sunday at the Paris Olympics came in the pool, with the men’s 100-meter breaststroke final. And it sure delivered.

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Even for a sport in which the difference between first place and third place is often mere tenths of a second, Sunday’s sprint through the water was one of the closest races in recent Olympic history. When the official times came in, Nicolo Martinenghi of Italy earned gold, while Adam Peaty of Great Britain and Nic Fink of the United States tied for silver.

All eight swimmers finished within a second of each other.

Peaty was the top qualifier coming into the race, and he had won gold medals in the event at the last two Olympics. But the 29-year-old from Uttoxeter, England, missed out on his three-peat — by 0.02 seconds — on Sunday, a feat which would have made him only the second man after U.S. swimming legend Michael Phelps to win the same swimming event at three consecutive Olympics. Even so, after the race, his mind was on his Father in Heaven.

“I’m a very religious man,” Peaty said. “I asked God just to show my heart, and this is my heart. I couldn’t have done more.”

“I feel like I’ve still won,” Peaty told BBC after the race as his eyes swelled with tears of joy, and of relief. “That’s the beauty of it. My heart, I put my all into it and I couldn’t have put in any more.”

The year after Peaty’s gold at the Tokyo Olympics, he broke his foot, and he struggled to regain his form. What followed were battles with alcohol abuse and mental health, and he was diagnosed with depression and ADHD. He also faced relational strife with the mother of his now-3-year-old son, George.

Peaty and his son shared a moment together following Sunday’s race, in which George told his dad that he loved him.

“Anyone who has got kids will know, you love them with all your life,” Peaty said, according to the BBC. “You have these moments where you have to prove yourself, and I think I proved myself tonight.”

He added to his comments later according to the Daily Mail, saying, “I did this for my son. These whole 14 months have been to show you can literally bottom of the bottom and come back and medal.”

Peaty has had a long journey back to Olympic stardom following his struggles that led to his break from swimming just over a year ago. His turnaround from his destructive lifestyle began, he says, by God drawing him to Himself through the context of the local church.

“I go to church every Sunday,” Peaty told the Daily Mail last June. “It’s been the last few months and it’s definitely helped. It’s about being a better person. Not only being a better athlete and fulfilling my gift, but also being a better dad for George. There are so many other reasons. It gets quite deep.”

He says he was terrified at first to set foot in a church, but what he found there was a community of believers who loved God and welcomed him.

“I felt a huge sense of peace, calmness, grounding and perspective. Belonging even,” he told the UK Times last October. “It felt like I was home, in a place where people understand there’s a higher level to this very superficial world.”

Peaty’s walk of faith began with conversations he had with American theologian and Olympic chaplain Ashley Null, who helped give him a proper perspective on the temporary nature of swimming success. Peaty realized he’d been finding his identity in swimming results for most of his life, when he should have been finding it in God.

“The only fulfillment and the only peace is every Sunday at church,” Peaty told BBC Sport in February. “It gives me a nice balance. It is those everyday conversations or prayers with myself that keeps me inspired, but also keeps me on the right track that I’ve got a gift (as a swimmer) that I will use every single day.”

Peaty’s faith is on display, on his body in the form of tattoos — his latest one on his abdomen is a cross above the words “Into the Light” — and on his Instagram account.

“My Third Olympic Games are nearly underway,” Peaty captioned an Instagram post from just before the start of the Paris Olympics. “I’m excited to race with the hard work and commitment that we have put in over the course of the last year. Thank you to all those who have believed in me along the way and those who have also challenged me to become a better athlete, friend, partner and father. I couldn’t have given an ounce more to my preparation for this moment and in that, I find peace.”

He concluded his post, which included a photo of a devotional book, by quoting the entirety of the Bible passage Hebrews 12:1-2.

 

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A post shared by Adam Peaty OBE (@adam_peaty)


Peaty may not quite be done at this year’s Olympic Games, as he could still compete in the men’s (Aug. 4) and mixed (Aug. 3) 4x100m medley relays. As he prepares for future races and as the Holy Spirit continues to grow faith in him, he can rest in the truth that his identity is and always will be secure.

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