Is Adam Peaty competing at the Paris Olympics 2024? All about the world record holder's comeback from depression and alcohol addiction

By Soumik Bhattacharya

Modified Jul 21, 2024 20:43 GMT

Three-time Olympic gold medalist Adam Peaty is all set to compete at the third Summer Games of his career in Paris later this month. The 29-year-old swimmer will take part in the Men's 100m breaststroke event at the quadrennial tournament in the French capital.

Peaty's qualification to the mega event came in April at the Aquatics GB Swimming Championships, where he registered a mark of 57.94 seconds to win the Men's 100m breaststroke event. This helped him secure his place for the event in Paris.

However, Peaty's journey over the last few years hasn't been short of ups and downs. The 29-year-old has been forced to deal with a number of issues, such as depression and alcohol addiction. Owing to this, he also missed the British national swimming championships last year.

Now that Peaty is back to his best, he will be leading the charge for Great Britain in their quest for gold at the Paris event in swimming. In a recent interview with ESPN, the Uttoxeter native opened up about his mindset ahead of the Olympics. He said:

"When you're younger, you're like, 'If I get a gold medal, it's gonna solve so many problems.' And it does, but it's not going to solve the problems that I seek [to resolve]. And obviously now I do it to win, I want to be the best. I am the best. I've still got the world record. And I'm going to have a good challenge come Paris. That's the only thing that gets me excited."

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All you need to know about Adam Peaty's Olympic journey so far

Adam Peaty at the 2024 British Swimming Championships (Image via Getty)

So far in his illustrious career, Adam Peaty has competed in two Olympic Games in Rio (2016) and Tokyo (2020). His Olympic debut in 2016 saw him clinch a gold medal in the Men's 100m breaststroke event.

In addition, he also won a silver medal in the 4x100m medley relay event along with Duncan Scott, James Guy, and Chris Walker-Hebborn. Their team fell short of the decorated United States team that consisted of swimming legends like Michael Phelps and Ryan Murphy.

Peaty's second outing on an Olympic stage came in Tokyo during the 2020 Games and it turned out to be even more successful.

Adam Peaty not only successfully defended his 100m breaststroke title, but also clinched another gold in the 4x100m mixed medley (team of Kathleen Dawson, James Guy, Adam Peaty, and Anna Hopkin).

He also won the silver medal in the 4x100m medley relay, along with James Guy, Duncan Scott, and Luke Greenbank.