Adam Peaty on LA 2028, Career Training Evolution and AP International Meet
While poolside at the 2025 AP International Meet last weekend, I had an opportunity to sit down one-on-one with Adam Peaty for a few minutes and discuss several aspects of his career, including his plans as LA28 approaches and his ventures with the AP brand.
Evolving from Wonder Kid to Veteran
Peaty burst into the public conscience over a decade ago, as a teenager at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. As an athlete still at the top of his game after such a prolonged period in the spotlight, he has had to adapt his training methods to realign with changing motivations. On this topic, Peaty said: “My training is very different. In 2016 (when he won his first Olympic gold), I was 21 years old. It’s almost 10 years ago now, so it was very hard, very tough with little recovery time. Now it’s a lot more specific, calculated and impactful.”
A large element of age was adapting the volume of meters Peaty logged in a training block. On this topic, Peaty said: “Obviously, LA with the 50s, which is incredible for the sport firstly, but for me personally, I’ve got the option to change up my training a little bit. As I’ve grown older, I know that again, that the time I spend has to be more impactful. Back in 2016, I probably swam 50-55k (meters) a week. Now it would be around 35k. But that doesn’t mean you’re going to go slower. We’re just a little bit better with those things.”
Reflecting on a Year Away
Following the 2024 Olympics in Paris where he claimed a silver medal in the 100 breastroke while suffering from COVID-19, Peaty is using the 2025 season as a break to revitalize himself for the next steps in his career. Peaty jokingly quipped: “I’m still racing with the jeans,” he said, in reference to the three head-to-head races he contested against Kyle Sockwell at the AP International Meet. At the meet, Peaty raced a 50 breaststroke in jeans and jorts in front of a sellout crowd.
Furthermore, Peaty said: “You have to focus on other areas of business, but also it was a decision for myself. I only made that decision (to return to swimming) in January, so that has been an important step as well, to make sure that we don’t rush anything.”
Growing Swimming with the AP International Meet
As he mentioned, Peaty has been building his AP brand over the past few years, expanding his influence as an athlete beyond that of simply a world-class swimmer. By taking this season off, he has been able to harness more energy than ever into this venture in recent months.
The flagship of the AP Race brand is the AP International Meet, held this year at the 2012 Olympic Games venue, the London Aquatics Centre. The meet is different from other events, as enhanced emphasis is placed on building the profiles of the athletes competing. More, world-class swimmers race in a competition that also features developing youth.
“It’s been a very important shift,” Peaty said of the AP Meet approach for 2025. “We have obviously targeted this event and this arena because we know it’s such an incredible and iconic one with a lot of history. For us, it’s about bridging that gap between grassroots and elite level sport. Obviously, it’s great if we can get the families, coaches and volunteers involved, and then people start to realize how important it is. It’s the community we’ve got to look after and grow together, which everyone is showing here.”
Balancing Competition with Entertainment
Peaty is one of the greatest swimmers of all-time, as a triple Olympic champion and eight-time world champion. At this stage of his career, one would imagine there aren’t many new experiences for him in the sport. However, racing in jorts was something new, and brought a sense of fun and creativity to the meet. I jokingly asked him where that stacked up with his aforementioned achievements.
Peaty replied: “29 (seconds for a 50 breaststroke) in denim jorts is pretty good, so it will be up there,” he kidded. “Obviously, doing that event at my own meet (is doing) something that is not just serious but is something that’s entertaining. So it’s again, finding new ways that don’t always have to be in the traditional format of how we’ve always done things. We can push that box out and see what we catch.”
