For just short of eight years Great Britain’s Adam Peaty achieved what was effectively ‘invincible’ status in the 100m breaststroke event.

After a maiden British title in 2014, Commonwealth, European, World and Olympic golds followed over the next two years and that relentless winning-streak continued with successful defences – and additional historic victories – through to Tokyo 2020.

In Japan, at the postponed Games, he became the first swimmer in his nation’s history to retain an Olympic crown.

However, the following year brought challenges Peaty had never before encountered as first he suffered a broken foot and then a “shock” fourth-place-finish at his home Commonwealth Games.

While the injury offered an understandable explanation, it soon became apparent that problems which had been ‘bubbling under the surface’ had begun to impact his day-to-day life and “burnout” left the swimmer at a crossroads.

Unsure whether he still had the fight to put his body through more years of gruelling exertion in pursuit of repeating previous glories, or move on to another phase of his life.

“I forgot my reason why I was doing it, which is the most powerful reason why we do anything,” recalls Peaty.

“If you lose your purpose, especially in such a hard sport you’ve been doing for 18 years and at this level, it’s is very, very hard to persuade yourself to do it.”

A Rest Which Did Not Revitalise Peaty’s Prospects 

The swimmer took six months away from the sport to contemplate his future before returning to training in late 2022.

A fan of the training environment Australia – and particularly the Gold Coast – can offer, he decided to return to the sport and prepare for the 2023 season by competing in the World Short Course Swimming Championships in Melbourne.

Although Peaty did set a two 100m breaststroke world records in 25m pools in late 2020, he has typically preferred racing in 50m long course events, so a hard-fought 100m bronze medal showed he still had the passion to push for the podium on the highest stage.

However, further problems emerged again in early 2023.

After opting out of the British Swimming Championships, and World Championships that summer, Peaty began to open up about the ‘demons’ which had clouded his thoughts and impacted his life away from the sport.

Depression, alcoholism and a split from the mother of his son, George, all contributed to a “downward spiral.”

“I was exhausted, at the lowest I've ever been in my life and if I stayed there who knows what I've would have done,” he tells World Aquatics.

“But I don't want to give that an excuse for George when he's older.

“I want to make sure that these kids coming through dare to dream and understand that you can go through lows in sport, which are very difficult, but you can come through them and succeed.”

A New Rival Emerges In Qin Haiyang

Peaty travelled out to Japan to watch the closing stage of the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka.

There he witnessed Qin Haiyang complete an unprecedented breaststroke treble and set a new world record over 200m and the reigning 100m Olympic champion is now embracing the challenge presented by China’s new swimming star.

“It made me very excited to be back,” he recalls.

“The sport needs that, the sporting need rivalries and the sport needs competition for it to thrive and if it (winning) is too easy, it’s almost not worth winning.

“When I was racing Cameron (van der Burgh), I was a lot younger and he was a lot older, so this is almost flipped (with Qin).

“It (Qin’s performances) is very impressive, but every swimmer has their strengths and weaknesses and you may not find that out until the Olympics.”

Finding Faith ‘Crucial’ To Sporting Comeback

The Briton, who is now 29, admits he has had to “reconstruct” his approach to the sport ahead of his third Olympic Games and insists that while he still “loves a challenge” finding “balance” in his life has but vital to rediscovering his spark.

“I still love to love to win, but I think more than ever I'm not going to let the losses go to my heart and that won't let the wins go to my head,” Peaty tells World Aquatics.

Part of his new ‘holistic’ approach to life has been returning to church and rediscovering faith, not only in a higher power, but also others around him.

“When I was younger (he attended church), but I stopped around 12-13 years old as I used to race on Sundays,” recalls the swimmer. “Now I’m asking myself more and about the world and the goodness, but also the evils out there and addressing both so that my mind is clear.

“For me, it was more of a community that my church offers and having people there for you outside of the swimming pool.

“Elite sport can be very lonely, but also it’s very selfish because of the things that we’re required to do and those sacrifices which can catch up to you.

“Having that peace and offloading all that kind of chaos has been incredibly important to me and having that community has been more important than ever ahead of the Olympics.”

Pressure On Peaty To Perform In Paris? ‘Everyone’s always out for my blood’

After returning to the pool full-time in the months following the 2023 World Championships Peaty provided a welcome return to form by recording his quickest 100m time in three years at the British Olympic trials in April.

The mark of 57.94, may be a full 1.06 secs short of the World record he set back in 2019, but it is the quickest he has ever swum at that time of the year and it is the fastest time recorded by any swimmer in the world during 2024 so far.

While Qin is expected to raise his own game in Paris, Peaty’s early season form has reignited excitement around the prospect of him becoming the first breaststroke swimmer in history to win the 100m title at three successive Olympic Games.

“It gives me goosebumps every single time I do think of it,” he tells World Aquatics. “To be dominant in the same event in three Olympics in a row would be incredible, but this is probably the hardest time to win one with so many other distractions going on.

“I've had a target on my back for nearly the last decade and I just say, ‘join the queue’ as to me it (Qin) is just another person to try and beat and overcome.

“People struggle in a first Olympics because it throws so many curveballs and so much pressure, but I’ve never really seen it as pressure, I see it as an opportunity.

Peaty concludes; “Everyone’s out for my blood, but they always have been and that doesn’t change for me, it’s just trying to find a way now to maximise my own potential and use my emotion when I need it.”