Adam Ramsay Peaty: can he get back after two bronzes?
Adam Ramsay Peaty took two Commonwealth Games bronzes in Glasgow and remains a long shot for Los Angeles 2028 gold, but coaches say his raw speed is not gone. The 31-year-old wants changes to training and recovery—not more work—as personal pressures and age reshape his path.
Key Takeaways
- Adam Ramsay Peaty won bronze in both the 100m and 50m breaststroke at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
- He has not won a major gold since 2022 and told BBC Sport that "nothing makes sense this week."
- Karen Pickering and Ross Murdoch argue his pace remains; more rest and basics beat more training.
- He still targets Los Angeles 2028 and has floated racing mainly the 50m breaststroke.
- Off-pool strain includes a 2023 mental health break, coaching changes, and a public family rift after marrying Holly Ramsay.
What happened to Adam Ramsay Peaty in Glasgow?
Twice in Glasgow's Tollcross pool, the announcement was bronze for England's Adam Ramsay Peaty—first in Saturday's 100m breaststroke, then again in the 50m. For an athlete with 51 major medals and only 19 that were not gold, third place stung.
He went eight years unbeaten in the 100m from 2014 to 2022 and has not won a major gold since the 2022 Commonwealth Games. After the races he was tearful, comparing the 100m result to a strong team exiting a World Cup in the group stages, and said "I deserve more."
Dame Laura Kenny told Sky Sports the emotion showed how much the Games still matter, even as she noted he might have congratulated rivals first.
Can Adam Ramsay Peaty get back to the top by 2028?
He wants to continue to Los Angeles, where the 50m breaststroke debuts—an event that usually suits older sprinters. Murdoch said he would not write Peaty off over 100m either, arguing raw speed and power can return with recovery. Pickering said his pace "hasn't gone anywhere" and that starts and underwater skills look like "a relatively simple fix."
History is harsh: only six swimmers have won Olympic gold after 30, and only two after 33—the age he will be in LA. Next month's European Championships bring Olympic champion Nicolo Martinenghi, while mentee Filip Nowacki, 18, already beat him to silver in Glasgow. His British Championships 100m time of 58.97 seconds in April would have won Commonwealth gold, underlining that race-day access—not total loss of speed—is the problem. Full analysis is in BBC Sport's Glasgow report.
Why is Adam Ramsay Peaty struggling beyond the pool?
He took a mental health break in 2023, settled for Paris 2024 silver, and has had two coaches since Mel Marshall left after those Olympics. Married to Holly Ramsay in December 2025—with another child on the way—he adopted the double-barrelled name and spoke of the "toll" of early starts, missed family time, and social-media abuse.
His parents were not at the wedding amid a widely reported feud involving Gordon Ramsay's family, a saga that also plays into celebrity and net worth & wealth coverage around elite sport. Still, Pickering's verdict stands: take time, fix the basics—"I wouldn't write him off."