Swimming, Peaty and the world forfeit: ‘I have mental health difficulties’

Adam Peaty announces the forfeit for this 2023 world championship: “I have difficulties with my mental health”. The Olympian breaststroke is one of the reference opponents of our world champion Nicolò Martinenghi. The Briton explains in a post: “I’m tired, I’m not myself and I’m not enjoying the sport as I have for the past decade,” wrote the swimming star on Twitter.

Nervous breakdown?

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Could it be a burnout? “I just know that I haven’t had any answers in the last few years.” With help, she now knows how to deal with this “imbalance in my life”. For this she will continue to train, but not to take part in the national championships. “But this has the sole purpose of being able to bring the best possible performance to the Paris Olympic Games in 2024. “Very few people understand what victory and success do to an individual’s mental health. They don’t understand the pressure these people put on themselves to win over and over again. As some people may know, I’ve struggled with my mental health over the past few years and I think it’s important to be honest about it. I am tired”. The 28-year-old student of Melanie Marshall, who became a father, was the most prestigious representative of the breaststroke for eight years, the only one under 57”. Peaty the Baronet has won three Olympic gold medals, eight world titles and 15 European titles. He also holds the world record in the 50m and 100m breaststroke.

Like Dressel

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Even the American Caeleb Dressel had similar problems after the Tokyo Games (where he won 5 gold) and left the World Championships in Budapest still in progress. Peaty, on the other hand, only played the Commonwealth Games, skipping the World Cup in Budapest and the European Championships in Rome. He didn’t particularly impress at the short course World Championships in Melbourne in December, beaten by the American Nic Fink and Martinenghi.