Staffordshire's Adam Peaty sets out "tough" road ahead in his quest to secure fourth Olympic gold
The Staffordshire-born swimmer has mapped out his road towards tasting more Olympic success at LA 2028.
Three-time Olympic swimming champion Adam Peaty admits the “next two years are going to the hardest” of his career as he sets his sights on a fourth gold medal at Los Angeles in 2028.
The Staffordshire star almost quit the sport before the Olympics in Paris two years ago where he eventually took silver in the French capital.
Peaty took an extended break while still training post-Paris and had added the 50m breaststroke to his schedule in 2028.
After racing sporadically with mixed success in recent months, Peaty will swim over both distances (50m and 100m) at the upcoming British Championship this week.
Next two years are “going to the hardest of my career”
And the 31-year-old is determined to map out his road to further Olympic success - even if winning in other competitions initially takes a back seat.
“The next two years are probably going to be the hardest of my career,” Peaty said in an interview with BBC Breakfast.
“It’s like tasting an amazing steak and then having to go back to a McDonald’s burger.”
“There probably won’t be much winning, but the one win that does matter is LA.
“It’s like tasting an amazing steak and then having to go back to a McDonald’s burger.
“The Olympics is the one that excites me. That is the one that really gets me out of bed every day, the one I dream of.
“We have to set that path now. Two years out, it is about how much racing and experience can we gather to give the best performance in LA.”
Peaty was denied a third successive gold at Paris 2024 when he was pipped to the post by Italian Nicolo Martinenghi.
Battles with injury and mental health
Yet his silver medal was all the more remarkable considering he had contracted coronavirus in the days leading up to the final.
Prior to the games in France, he had opened up about his battles with injury and mental health.
But Peaty, who described that episode in his life as a “self-destructive spiral” at the time, is certain that such issues won’t arise again on his comeback trail.
“Can we avoid burnout? Absolutely. It is the logistical and strategic thinking we have to do,” he explained.
“I look at my life without sport and I wouldn’t be five per cent of the man I am, have the friends I have and wouldn’t be able to deal with problems I had.
“With sport giving me what it has given, the price is the price.”
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