Peaty cites ‘self-destructive’ tendencies for time out from swimming
Has been in a class of his own in sprint breaststroke events for nearly a decade
Triple Olympic gold medallist Adam Peaty said he has been in a “self-destructive spiral” due to mental health issues that saw him not selected for the World Aquatics Championships later this year.
The 28-year-old has been in a class of his own in sprint breaststroke events for nearly a decade, winning gold at the Rio and Tokyo Olympics in the 100m as well as the 4x100m mixed medley relay in Tokyo.
But Peaty has spoken previously about periods of depression and problems with alcohol, which he admits worsened last year as he struggled with injury, motivation and the breakdown of his relationship with the mother of his young son.
“It’s been an incredibly lonely journey. The devil on my shoulder (says), ‘You’re missing out on life, you’re not good enough, you need a drink, you can’t have what you want, you can’t be happy’”, Peaty told The Times.
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