It was an overwhelming moment for Adam Paety as it wasn’t the return to the Olympics he dreamed of. Adam Paety was caught crying ‘happy tears’ as he won a silver medal for his Team GB in the men’s 100-meter breaststroke at the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024.
Notably, Adam Paety, who won gold medals in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, was looking forward to winning his third consecutive medal at the Olympic Games. He was bidding to become the second male swimmer after US legend Michael Phelps to win gold at 3 successive Olympic events.
However, the 29-year-old athlete lost his chance to win the gold by 0.02 seconds as he narrowly failed to claim a third consecutive men’s 100-meter breaststroke title at the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024.
Adam Suffered From Mental Health Issues
Adam lost to Nicolo Martinenghi and had to share his silver medal with American Nic Fink after both players came in at 59.05 seconds.
In the aftermath of the contest, Adam got emotional as he reflected on the difficult time he endured in and out of the swimming pool ever since he won Gold in the Tokyo Olympics 2020. For the unversed, Adam was struggling with his mental health and had taken a break from competing last year because of burnout. Peaty went through periods of depression and problems with alcohol. He revealed how he was battling with “the devil on my shoulder.”
“It’s broken me, this sport, but it’s also given me life.” – Adam Peaty
Expressing his emotions after winning a Silver Medal at the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024, Adam Peaty said: “I got blindsided. There were two on one side who I beat but I did not see the man on the other side. It could have gone either way.
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“It’s not sad at all,” he said. “These are happy tears. If you’re willing to put yourself on the line every single time, I think there’s no such thing as a loss. I’m so happy the right man won.”
He added: “I’m not defining myself by a medal. I define myself by my heart and what it has made me feel and produce. It’s got the best out of me.”
“It’s broken me, this sport, but it’s also given me life, it’s given me everything I am and I am happy to stand here with not really any answers to what that performance is but a happy heart and that is all that matters.”
Adam Peaty Revealed His Son’s Reaction
Furthermore, Adam expressed his son’s reaction to him losing the Gold Medal by a few seconds. He revealed:
“He normally goes ‘Daddy, are you the fastest boy?’ and I’d have said ‘Not today’ but he just said ‘I love you, daddy’ and that’s all I care about.”
Adam Peaty is now looking at the bigger picture as he is now looking ahead to his two relay events.
He concluded: “I was not feeling 100 percent but I don’t really care. I’ve raced people who weren’t 100 percent, I’ve won against people who weren’t 100 percent and today was my turn. I really feel this moment was meant to be.”
