Peaty, His Partner, Pregnancy, & Expectations Of Equilibrium & Racial Equality
"We’re going to be working on building a ‘Home Team’ and building patches of time into the schedule for the next year that makes sure Adam gets what he needs, including sleep, and the baby and the girlfriend are supported with their needs too." - Mel Marshall
Some of the best humour relies on timing and flying closest to the truth. In that sense, coach Mel Marshall hit the jackpot when Adam Peaty asked if he could have a chat on training camp in Australia back in January and she replied: “You’ve not gone and got someone pregnant have you?”
“No!,” said Peaty, followed by this truth:
“Well, yes, I was gonna tell you in about 10 minutes but you’ve got there before me.”
They’d just set out on a walk at Peaty’s behest. Marshall isn’t known for messing about and having nailed the reason for her charge’s concerned demeanour, she was already working out a plan in her own mind: in no way was the happy news going to spoil the other happy news they’d been working so hard on for so long: his prospects at Tokyo 2020.
Having clocked a World record of 56.88sec last year to achieve the ‘Project 56’ goal Peaty pinned to his mast on the very day he claimed Olympic gold over 100m breaststroke at Rio 2016, the goal at Tokyo 2020 was set: he aimed to become the first British swimmer in history to retain a solo Olympic swimming title in a four-year cycle.
That distinction is required because Henry Taylor retained the 1500m freestyle title at London 1908 if you count – which the International Olympic Committee (IOC) does not – the ‘Intercalated Games’ of Athens 1906.
Marshall was concerned but it was a case of steady as she goes, she and Peaty tell me. After all, the baby who Peaty, 25, are due to welcome to the world with his partner Eiri (Eirianedd) Munro, 22, in September, would be something to celebrate after the job of the pioneering pacesetter was done and dusted in Tokyo.
d the decision-makers they work with in pursuit of the Olympic glory that, as things stand, is more likely to secure them a living wage and a decent pension than any other moment in their athletic careers:
