Dr. Peaty ... Loughborough Honours Adam's Outstanding Achievement In Swimming & "Using His Voice For Good"
The ceremony, held at the university’s East Midlands campus, celebrated Peaty’s soaring success in the pool, his advocacy for mental health awareness and "using his voice for good"
Adam Peaty, the pioneer of breaststroke pace, three-time Olympic gold medallist and winner of six Games globes, was awarded an honorary degree from Loughborough University on Thursday in recognition of his outstanding contribution to swimming.
The honour extends to Peaty's advocacy for mental health awareness and "using his voice for good".
The ceremony, held at the university’s East Midlands campus, celebrated Peaty’s soaring success in the pool, his 56.88 World record in the 100m breaststroke one of the greatest milestones of progress on the clock in the history of sport. If swimming were football, he'd be Sir Adam by now, it's probably fair to say.
One of Britain's most decorated athletes across all sports, Peaty also boasts a swimming pantheon that includes a raft of pioneering achievements, including his eternal status as the first British athlete to retain an Olympic title in the pool.
The Ceremony In Loughborough:
Loughborough noted: "An eight-time World Champion, he is known for redefining the breaststroke and currently holds world records in both the 100m and 50m events. The 29-year-old also has three Olympic silvers to his name alongside seven Commonwealth Games medals – four gold, three silver."
However, Peaty's honour extends to using "his platform to advocate for mental health awareness, openly discussing his personal struggles and encouraging others to seek support".
Our SOS coverage on the back of exclusive report in The Times the revealed Peaty's depth of despair and how he climbed out of the dark hole his pursuit of excellence had led him.
Craig Lord
Craig Lord
Peaty, who has been based at Loughborough and Aquatic GB’s high-performance centre since 2016 but, along with his coach Mel Marshall, has a much deeper association with the university, through her learning curve as athlete, coach and mentor, and the guidance Peaty was honoured to receive in his youth. Marshall has also been honoured by her alma mater.
After being awarded the honorary degree, Adam said:
“I’m extremely proud to receive this honorary degree from Loughborough University. After spending most of my career training on campus, I’ve seen it go from strength to strength, and I can see why it’s one of the top universities in the country. I’ll always have so many positive memories about my time here and I can’t wait to see the next generation come through the pathway which they invest so heavily in.”
Professor Nick Jennings, Vice-Chancellor and President of Loughborough University, presented Peaty with the honorary degree, highlighting his relentless pursuit of excellence and role as an inspirational figure in sport. Professor Jennings emphasised the good that flows from Peaty "using his voice for good", saying:
“Adam embodies the values we hold at Loughborough: determination, dedication, and a passion for pushing boundaries. His unrivalled dedication to his craft and his leadership in promoting mental health awareness make him a role model not only for our students but for aspiring athletes worldwide.
“By taking a stand and using his voice for good, Adam is playing a vital role in helping eradicate stigmas and empowering communities. Not unlike his stellar performances in the pool over many years, he’s proving himself a champion in this space too.”
That extends to the grace he showed when missing out on what would have been an historic and extremely rare third gold in the same event in the Olympic pool at Paris. Peaty, who unknown to him as he swam was battling Covid, fell 0.02sec shy as the crown went to Italian rival and friend Nicolò Martinenghi.
Craig Lord
