Adam Peaty has been named Sportsman of the Year by the Sports Journalists’ Association of Great Britain after he became the first British swimmer to retain an Olympic title.
The 26-year-old won the 100 breaststroke in Tokyo, five years after gold at Rio 2016, and on Thursday became the first swimmer since David Wilkie in 1975 to be honoured at the British Sports Awards.
Wilkie won the 100 and 200 breaststroke double at the World Championships that year and in 1976 became the 200br Olympic champion and 100br silver medallist.
Peaty was also part of the mixed medley relay squad that triumphed in world-record time in Japan in July before concluding his competition with silver in the men’s 4×100 medley.
That followed another record-breaking outing at the European Championships in Budapest in May where he won four titles for the fourth straight edition – 16 races, 16 golds.
Peaty is a pioneer in the water, taking his events through a timewarp, but also a leader on poolside and beyond.
On Wednesday, Swimming World published an interview with the eight-time world champion where he called on his fellow swimmers to exert more control and utilise their collective power.
Peaty has been coached by Mel Marshall since he was 14 and it is hard to think of a partnership in sport today that has been so successful with two more Olympics the plan.
He wrote on social media:
“So honoured to be awarded this! Joining some of the sporting greats of this country is something I could never imagine, least of all when we have so well in sport this year too! Thank you!”