Exaggerated Reports of Incident Between Adam Peaty and Luke Greenbank Lead to Unfair Treatment of Anna Hopkin
Adam Peaty has criticised as “totally unfair” Anna Hopkin being dragged into the spotlight following an incident involving the three-time Olympic champion and Luke Greenbank.
Reports throughout the British media and beyond said Peaty was punched by Greenbank at the end of a British Swimming training session in Loughborough last Friday, claims that have been denied.
“Bloodied!” “Bruised!” “Carnage!”
While the eight-time world champion suffered a minor injury above his eye, a source close to Peaty said:
“There were no punches, let alone stitches. There wasn’t even any slapping.
“Adam made a remark that Greenbank objected to, picked up a piece of training equipment and threw it at Adam. The cut wasn’t intentional.”
Adam Peaty, Mel Marshall and Luke Greenbank: Photo Courtesy: Mel Marshall
British Swimming confirmed that “an incident occurred at a recent training session that was quickly and effectively resolved by the athletes involved and the staff present at the session.”
The pair – who made up half the British men’s medley relay quartet that won Olympic silver in Tokyo – shook hands, the incident over and done with.
Or so they thought.
However, not only have they been thrust into an unwanted spotlight based on falsehoods but so too has Hopkin, a completely innocent victim.
Reports stated the ‘punch-up’ – which never happened – was triggered by a jibe made by Peaty (he didn’t) about Hopkin, Greenbank’s partner, who has been wrongly described as the five-time Olympic medallist’s ex-girlfriend.
Through his management, Peaty confirmed to The Times the pair have never dated nor been in any relationship beyond that of Olympic teammates on the victorious mixed 4x100m medley relay in Tokyo.
He said:
“Me and Luke are fine. We had a moment and then shook hands immediately after some tension after a hard training set.
“I have no idea how Anna got dragged into this.
“I didn’t even mention Anna and it’s totally unfair on her.”
Peaty was in a relationship with a woman called Anna when he first became Olympic champion at Rio 2016.
However, that was not Anna Hopkin and a simple check would have sufficed.
Hopkin and Greenbank’s relationship is their business alone but now she finds her name and face blasted throughout the media far and wide.
“Love triangle!” the headlines shriek in Australia, little more than a year after the same treatment was meted out to Emma McKeon, Cody Simpson and Kyle Chalmers before and during the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
There has been global support among the press for Spain forward Jenni Hermoso following the non-consensual kiss by Luis Rubiales after last month’s World Cup victory.
Universal condemnation has come the way of the Spanish football federation president as well as head coach Jorge Vilda, now sacked after a tenure of toxicity.
Anna Hopkin: Photo Courtesy: Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto
So why not the same consideration for Hopkin? Double standards at best…….
Instead, she’s been thrown to the wolves.
A woman? She must be a love interest! It’s a love triangle!
Hopkin’s roll call? Olympic gold. Five European titles plus a silver and two bronzes. World long and short-course bronze. Two Commonwealth silvers and two bronzes.
She – plus Peaty and Greenbank – are coached by Melanie Marshall, a two-time Olympian who won world, European and Commonwealth medals.
Women at the very top table.
But what the last 24 hours or so serves to illustrate – once again – is the depiction of women in sport. Of their place in the hierarchy. How far there is to go. One step forward, a giant leap back.
Framed in terms of salacious gossip, falsehoods and inaccuracies repeated ad nauseam across the world.
And what of Hopkin? The injustice meted out to her?
A young woman who dedicates her life to the pursuit of being the best she can be. A woman who has stood at the pinnacle of her sport now reduced to being a bit-part player in a love tryst that never was.
Anna Hopkin is a talented, hard working swimmer, plus – as a person – she is a shining example to us all!