Renaming Derby “Peaty-land”, putting up a statue outside Derby’s Queen’s Leisure Centre, building a new swimming pool or creating a gold letterbox are some of the ways Derby people think we should honour Adam Peaty.
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Peaty is the country’s first male Olympic swimming gold medallist for 28 years and only the fourth in last 100 years, following on from David Wilkie (1976) Duncan Goodhew (1980) and Adrian Moorhouse (1998) – all four of them breaststrokers.
The Welsh swimmer finished second behind world record holder Team USA’s Katie Ledecky, who also won gold in the 2012 London Olympics.
“One week a friend took him swimming, and I don’t know what happened but after that he started going regularly and he hasn’t been out of it since”. I’ve got eight more years, maybe more, in this game.
Looking visibly stunned after the race she said: “I honestly can not believe it – I’m on the edge of tears”.
Jazz Carlin smashed her personal best on the way to claiming a 400m freestyle silver medal in her debut Olympics.
He bettered his own world record in his heat on Saturday, clocking 57.55 and was 0.07 slower in his semi-final as he qualified fastest.
“He’s worked so hard for this and he deserves it and I’m glad he got what he wanted”.
And he went quicker still in surging to a supreme victory.
It was a world-record setting performance – by a winning margin of 1.56 seconds no less – that will ensure his life will never be the same again.
“(But) consistency means a lot more to me than those single times”. “It’s definitely the best feeling I’ve ever had”.
Peaty himself said he took the first 50m “easy” in the final before bursting back along the home straight “with everything I’ve got”.
This picture sums up how it feels to make history at the Olympics. I find it amusing they’re competing for that, but that’s the kind of family we are.
“It was 12 years ago and if I look back now, I’d say that was my defining moment as a coach”.
South Africa’s Cameron van der Burgh captured the silver, after winning 2012 Olympic gold in the event. “Hopefully I can push on even more”.
“I’m very excited for when he comes home, and exhausted”.
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She revealed Peaty “didn’t like the water” as a small child.
