Adam Ramsay-Peaty says getting back into Olympic medal contention is ‘the hardest climb I’ve ever faced’… after breaking down in tears at Commonwealth Games bronze
Adam Ramsay-Peaty has claimed he faces the toughest challenge of his career to get back into medal contention at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
The 31-year-old athlete, who has held the world record since 2015, burst into tears after finishing third in the men’s 100-meter breaststroke final.
Britain’s iconic swimmer will have another shot at 50m gold on Monday night after finishing second in Sunday evening’s semi-final and is desperate to prove that time has not caught up with him.
‘It was tough,’ Ramsay-Peaty said after the 100 meters final. ‘A lot has happened in the last few years; Burnout, breaking my foot, struggling with something you love.
‘When I come back to where I am now and decide to go to Los Angeles, I think it will be the hardest climb and the toughest test I have ever faced. It’s really hard to see the top because it’s so hard. I don’t think anyone understands.”
Ramsay-Peaty’s wife Holly (daughter of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay) was in Glasgow to watch the races. Fatherhood has changed the breaststroker’s priorities, but he doesn’t plan to retire before the next Olympics.
Adam Ramsay-Peaty says returning to Olympic medal contention is ‘the toughest climb I’ve ever faced’
“There are a lot of personal and professional things that I need to pull together and figure out what’s important and what the long-term goal is for my happiness and the happiness of my immediate family,” she added.
‘With three seconds left of your world record, we have to seriously ask what went wrong because it’s not me. We need to look at this, question it, look at the data and ask whether this is related to race pace, fitness or some other issue.
‘I don’t think it’s fitness but there are so many components that drive us to swim so we really need to analyze these. Of course I’m determined. ‘I’ve got a big fight going on inside me and it normally only takes me 24 hours to turn things around.’
He struck a more positive note after a fast start to the 50m breaststroke final on Sunday evening, finishing second in his semi-final behind South African Michael Houlie in 26.82 seconds.
“I think the last 24 hours have been a bit tumultuous,” Ramsay-Peaty said. ‘To be honest, this isn’t something I’m used to. I guess this sport isn’t really about when you’re going to lose because it’s inevitable. Essentially (what matters) is how long it takes you to look at him and turn him down tonight. We’re really happy with it, we’re on a great track for tomorrow.
‘Every time I race except yesterday I get a little bit stronger, which is important but I’m exposed to it more. And people forget that I haven’t done this in two years. Even I forget this. So I think that perspective is a good thing to take tomorrow. I tell you what, I’ll enjoy the crowd. An incredible crowd.’
