Adam George Peaty (born 28 December 1994) is an English competitive swimmer who specialises in the sprint breaststroke events.

Peaty is one of only six British swimmers, with David Wilkie, Rebecca Adlington, James Guy, Duncan Scott, and Tom Dean to have won gold medals at all four major international events (Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth Games), and with David Wilkie the only swimmers to hold all four major gold medals in the same single event at the same time, a feat he completed in winning the 100 metre breaststroke at the 2016 Olympics, and which he uniquely maintained through the 2020 Olympics.

[9][10] As a young boy, he developed an acute fear of water and was averse to being put in the bath after his brothers told him that sharks may come up through the plughole.

[16][17] She also recognised the advantages of his large hands, big feet, "extraordinary cardiovascular system", and hyper-mobile, double-jointed knees and ankles.

[18] According to Peaty, he did not take swimming seriously until he was 17 – he was preparing for a night out drinking with friends when he read that Craig Benson, whom he knew well from the junior circuit, made the semi-final of the 100m breaststroke at the 2012 London Olympics.

He also set a second world record as part of the final of the 4 × 100 metre mixed medley relay, along with Walker-Hebborn, Jemma Lowe and Fran Halsall, with a time of 3':44.02".

[33] Peaty then won the final of the event, which his second gold of the championship with van der Burgh taking silver.

Peaty added a third gold with a win in the 4 × 100 metre mixed medley relay with a new world-record time along with Walker-Hebborn, Siobhan-Marie O'Connor and Halsall.

[42] He successfully defended his 50-metre breaststroke title with another sub-26 time of 25.99 seconds in the final, completing another double at the World Championships with van der Burgh taking bronze.

[43] He won a further silver in the 4 × 100 metre medley relay at the World Championship, setting a new British record, with the same Olympic line-up of Walker-Hebborn, Guy and Scott, but missed out on a medal in the 4 x 100 metre mixed medley relay with Davies, Guy and O'Connor despite setting a new European record.

[44] At the 2017 European Short Course Swimming Championships, Peaty won a bronze medal in the 50 metre breaststroke with a personal best time and setting a new British record.

[45][46] At the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Peaty defended his 100 metre breaststroke title, winning in a time of 58.84 seconds after setting a games record time in the semi-final of 58.59, beating his teammate James Wilby in to silver medal position and his old rival van der Burgh in to bronze.

[48] He also helped his England team win a silver medal in the 4 × 100 metre medley relay with Luke Greenbank, Guy and Proud.

On 15 November 2020, at the International Swimming League meet in Budapest, Peaty competed as part of the London Roar team.

[67] In December, Peaty and three fellow 2019 individual world championship medal-winning team-mates were pre-selected for the postponed Tokyo Olympics.

[68] At the 2021 British Swimming Olympic trials, Peaty won the 100m breaststroke title on the opening day of the championships at the London Aquatics Centre in a time of 57.39 seconds.

He won Britain's first gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games (held in 2021), beating Arno Kamminga of the Netherlands in the 100m breaststroke with a time of 57.37 seconds.

[76] For the 2021 International Swimming League, Peaty was selected to the roster for team London Roar by fan vote.

[78] For the 21st century up to the end of 2021, Peaty had set a total of 11 individual world records in short course and long course metres, ranking as number five behind Michael Phelps, Aaron Peirsol, Ryan Lochte, and Cameron van der Burgh in terms of total number of individual world records achieved by a male swimmer in the century.

[80] Approximately two months later, he announced that due to a fractured foot that required him to rest for 6 weeks, he would not be participating at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships held in June in Budapest.

[81] Peaty returned to compete in the 2022 Commonwealth Games after his injury but was beaten in the final of the 100m breaststroke for the first time in 8 years, finishing fourth behind England team-mate James Wilby and Australians Zac Stubblety-Cook and Sam Williamson.

[85][86] One day earlier in the competition, on 14 December, he helped achieve a fourth-place finish in the 4×50 metre mixed medley relay, splitting a 25.24 to contribute to the final mark of 1:37.07, which set a new British record in the event.

[89] After winning the 100 metres breaststroke at the 2024 Aquatics GB Swimming Championships, Peaty sealed his place at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

[90] At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Peaty won the silver medal in the 100m breaststroke, finishing tied with Nic Fink and behind Nicolò Martinenghi.

He continued to train for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, telling The Times: "The physical preparation goes on so my body will be ready to fight again when my heart and mind have caught up.

"[113] Peaty questioned China's performances at the 2024 Summer Olympics, alluding to the cover-up of positive doping cases by Chinese swimmers, and expressing dissatisfaction with the World Anti-Doping Agency's efforts to combat cheating in sports.

[18] Peaty received the FINA award for Best Male Swimming Performance of 2015 after he won 3 gold medals at the World Championships in Kazan.

[119][120] Peaty has won the Ligue Européenne de Natation (LEN) Award for best male swimmer for three times in four years for his performances in 2016, 2017 and 2019.