Olympic champion Peaty will turn his attention to the Commonwealth Games in 2022 after claiming his second individual gold in Tokyo - as ticket ballots open for Birmingham next year he is planning on putting on a show for the home fans
Thursday 16 September 2021 07:11, UK
What does it take to be the very best? The top of the tree? A history-making Olympic champion? Adam Peaty has proved he knows during an all-conquering swimming career, but what comes next?
"To put it into context, winning once - it's not easy, but it's the easiest, to win twice is harder and so that becomes the case as you want to keeping winning again and again," Britain's history-making and all conquering swimmer Peaty tells Sky Sports.
"People who do it over a decade, that is extremely tough but that is a challenge I want to take on."
It's a challenge Peaty will relish, and in terms of major championships it starts with a defence of his Commonwealth Games 100m title in Birmingham next year, and all being well something he hasn't won - a Commonwealth 50m crown (it's not an Olympic event and he was beaten in the 2018 and 2014 Commonwealth Games).
He'll be doing it in front of a home crowd - something that will have added importance to the Uttoxeter-born and Loughborough-based 26-year-old, who won't have far to travel and will have fans back in attendance for the first time.
The Commonwealth Games are set to take place from July 28 to August 8 next year and the ticket ballot opened last week. Just the mention of competing in front of a crowd again is enough to get Peaty's juices flowing.
"It will be warmly welcomed - I have missed it, I have missed performing for a crowd," he adds.
"I rely on the crowd, I enjoy them and I see sport as entertainment - the crowd are a massive part of that entertainment.
"Once we get people involved in that again, it will only do wonders for the sport."
Peaty the performer might be something we have to get used to: as part of his time off he will be taking to the ballroom for Strictly Come Dancing, but even for the ferocious competitor that he has become, there needs to be a break.
"I like working, but I like a holiday! So hopefully to work and balance everything I'd like to do, I hope there'll be a nice holiday in December - maybe January if it has to be.
"I still have to be ready and fit, and it's for the last two years of a three-year cycle.
"I still want to go to all the Championships in this next season, defend all my titles, push on again and see what we get - my mindset then starts to shift 'how do I peak at Commonwealth Games, Europeans, Olympics."
"You can't get complacent, there's a control in all of these emotions you deal with. It's not really humble to say you are humble, but there has to be a level of humbleness and people around you who ground you."
Peaty's priority for this next stage of his career is enjoyment - if that's possible. As well as fun, entertainment and his love of music there is another regular topic in an engaging 20-minute conversation with the double Olympic champion - a burning desire to succeed.
Just a few weeks ago Peaty made history as the first British swimmer to retain an Olympic gold, but he's just getting started as he reiterates the 'greatest of all-time' line he gave in the build-up to this year's delayed Olympics in Tokyo.
"'Greatest of all-time? I don't know how much it exists.
"Everyone has an opinion so for me it's about being respected in the sport - and that is to be the best I can be, push the limits that the human body can go to and hopefully be able to enjoy it and have a laugh along the way.
"In terms of breaststroke - no-one has got near me and now in the relay it is great being part of that team, it's one of the best teams Great Britain have ever created, so I think I am getting close!"
In Tokyo, as well as retaining his 100m title he added relay gold and silver as the Great Britain swimming team claimed a best-ever haul of eight medals in the pool.
For the record, Peaty also has a six-year unbeaten breaststroke record, nine world records and gold medals in all the major competitions - plus the barely believable statistic of the 20 fastest times ever recorded in the 100m breaststroke.
Such utter domination is not a position too many Britons are used to, but there's little in the way of hype or hubris with Peaty, who takes his superman status as swimming's alpha male in his stride just as much as his does being a role model.
Peaty became a father for the first time in September last year and has spoken eloquently about fatherhood, diversity in sport and beyond, as well as mental health: he took aim at critics of his decision to take a break from the sport for a short period.
"It's just about being a decent person," he adds matter-of-factly.
"Sport is one of the most powerful platforms - it has given me a platform to communicate, to hopefully inspire but also to be real.
"That the most important thing, to listen to ourselves and develop our emotional intelligence.
"Do we listen to ourselves, are we looking at what's going on the world. It's about trying to be a better person, to develop, to listen and be a better person than you were yesterday."
As ticket ballots open for a home major competition, Peaty is relishing the next step, and there's a theme to how the next stage of his career evolves - and perhaps part of the reason for taking up the Strictly challenge.
"Now it's only three years on the other side of the swing - I'd like to say it will be nice and smooth but it's not going to be, however this time I am going to try and have more fun.
"I started out in sport by wanting to take risks and do what I can and work every single day to achieve it - but now I am at the stage where I want to enjoy it and hopefully get faster.
"I have done everything I wanted to do in the sport, so now it's a case of doing it again and hopefully inspiring more people to do better and be better along the way - it's the only way I can see it going now."
His comments are in contrast to an interview he gave before the Olympics where he described himself as being addicted to pain - not that the pain will be letting up as gets ready for another cycle, albeit a shorter one than the last five years.
"It's character building, it builds resilience and that is one of my greatest attributes and I like the suffering because it's progress, if we stay in our comfort zone all the time we wouldn't progress, or learn.
"I hate the pain really but I know the results it brings."
"It's tiredness! It's extreme fatigue on all levels - there has to be an element of enjoyment to that. To be able to look back and go 'wow, how did I did that?' And also…'why did I do that?'"
Being a role model, being the best in the world - there can't be anything he would change too much, so what would say to young Adam starting out on the journey at Dove Valley Swimming Club.
"Enjoy the journey, I think maybe I took some of the races too seriously, but really I wouldn't change anything because it's got me to where I am today.
"Any kid who is starting out on the their dream - you can't imagine going to the pinnacle of your sport and then winning it, then winning again and then winning another one.
"The Olympics has been a huge part of my inspiration and a huge part of my success so it has been an incredible 10 years or so and now it's onto the next one, in front of home fans - bring it on."
Adam Peaty was talking to Sky Sports' Paul Prenderville following the opening of the main ticket ballot for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games - which closes at 8pm on September 30. Apply for tickets now at Birmingham2022.com.
