Former Loughborough student Adam Peaty wins Team GB’s first gold

A world record at 57.13 seconds


Adam Peaty, 21, who “didn’t like being bathed by his mum” as a boy, has just won the first Great Britain gold medal at the Rio 2016 Olympics.

The Loughborough grad is now the world-record holder of the 100m breaststroke at 57.13 seconds.

Peaty who studied at Loughborough University was observed as being a bad swimmer at aged 14, ploughing through the slow lane until he turned his focus to breaststroke, where his talent clearly emerged.

It wasn’t until Peaty’s friend Craig Benson had made the semi-finals in the 2012 London Olympics as Peaty was about to go “get drunk in a field or something stupid like that” that he decided to get serious about swimming, declaring that he would make the next Olympics.

Peaty commented on the race beforehand: “What’s the worst that could happen? You’re going to come second.” His relaxed and refreshing attitude is perhaps what makes him so likeable.

Adam’s nan Mavis

Peaty’s biggest fan is his nan Mavis, a retired biscuit factory worker, who said: “I am not very good on my legs, otherwise I would have jumped up and down,” and that although Peaty has given his nan all his winning medals she says: “He won’t give me his Olympic Gold if he wins. That’s the big one and he has worked all his life for it.”