Adam Peaty Unveils First AP Race London International At Aquatics Centre In May 2023
Adam Peaty has demonstrated his commitment to leaving a legacy with the announcement of the inaugural AP Race London International to be held at the London Aquatics Centre on the British Spring Bank Holiday in May 2023.
The competition will run for three days from 27-29 May at the iconic venue that played host to the 2012 Olympics and will feature international and domestic swimmers through to grassroots initiatives.
While the field is yet to be finalised, triple Olympic champion Peaty will compete along with fellow members of Mel Marshall‘s training group and medallists on the international stage.
It’s hoped many international swimmers will move on to London from the Mare Nostrum tour which concludes on 21 May 2023 as part of their preparation for the World Championships in Fukuoka in July.
In turn emerging domestic swimmers will get the opportunity to take on an international field.
Swimmers from clubs in Newham, Hackney, Waltham Forest and Tower Hamlets, the four boroughs surrounding the Olympic Park, will also be involved.
They’ll compete in sprint finals across all four strokes at the start of the finals session as part of AP Race and London Aquatics Centre’s commitment to working together at grassroots level.
The meet – which is supported by British Swimming – is the brainchild of Peaty and Ed Baxter, the founders of the AP brand which has been delivering race clinics since 2019.
It is pending FINA approval and will offer a qualification opportunity for World Championships and Olympic Games.
The event will be produced by John Bailey, the man behind the FINA World Cup events and US Olympic trials, with echoes of the ISL, showcasing swimming as a sport of entertainment.
The AP Race International is the first of its kind in Britain and the goal is to combine athlete, coach and spectator experience and grassroots inspiration.
Peaty told Swimming World:
“I’m quite aware that international meets or meets in general other than championships are quite dull.
“They don’t really have much spice and it’s just the same kind of routine or same kind competition you see year on year with no real development or no real challenge to change.
“So the AP International for us is an event that offers a little bit of a different twist.”
Adam Peaty at London Aquatics Centre: Photo Courtesy: AP Race Club
The Aquatics Centre holds a special significance for Peaty.
It’s where he set his first world record in the 100m breaststroke in April 2015, his time of 57.92 making him the first man inside the 58-second barrier.
Cameron van der Burgh had set the previous WR of 58.46 in the same lane four en-route to the Olympic title in 2012.
Peaty has only raced there twice since that world record – at the 2016 European Championships where he won four gold medals and the British trials ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.
He added:
“The London Aquatics Centre – one of the most famous pools in the world – not many people get to race in that internationally.
“It’s very special to me because it’s the one where I remember watching those 2012 Olympics and then my first world record in 2015 in the 100 so it has got heritage, it’s got a lot of inspiration for me.
“I actually can’t wait – I can’t wait to race.
“It’s really about getting as many people in the stands as possible and inspiring and helping the next generation understand what it’s going to take to be there in a few years’ time.”
This is wonderful. This is beautiful. This is a great example of giving back by creating a world class event in a world class venue. I congratulate YOU Adam Peaty for doing this. YOU are definitely leaving a legacy. I hope that this event becomes an annual event and the go to event in the future.