Peaty has ‘unfinished business’, says coach Main

Three-time Olympic swimming champion Adam Peaty was lured back to the pool by “unfinished business”, says new coach Jamie Main.

The 30-year-old had previously admitted that he was not convinced he would carry on after an emotionally and physically draining silver-medal finish in the 100m breaststroke at the Paris Games last year.

Peaty had dealt with mental health issues in the years leading up to the 2024 Olympics, where he aimed to claim a third consecutive gold medal in the event despite catching Covid-19 in the week leading up to the race, but was just 0.02 seconds short of glory.

“When we had the conversation at the back end of last year about him potentially coming in to Repton, he felt like there was some unfinished business,” Main told BBC Radio Derby.

“But he actually loves the sport and I think that has come though in a lot of what he has said since he announced that he was getting back in the pool”.

The Paris Olympics was the last major event he worked with long-time coach Mel Marshall, who moved to Australia to further her career.

With Marshall leaving Loughborough Performance Centre, where she was Aquatic GB’s lead coach, Peaty decided to relocate to his former training base at Repton School in Derbyshire.

It was there that he previously worked with Marshall leading up to the 2016 Olympics in Rio where he claimed his first Olympic title.

He has now returned to the rural Derbyshire village to work with Main, who left his role as Aquatics GB national coach at the Bath Performance Centre to become Repton’s director of swimming.

Peaty’s move coincided with his omission from the group of 57 elite British swimmers that will be supported by Aquatics GB throughout 2025.

Having the multiple world champion and world record holder at the school has given its highly-regarded programme – which was represented by swimmers at the Olympic and Paralympic Games last year – a significant boost.