Adam Peaty has won six Olympic medals and will be looking to add to that tally further as the Paris Games go on, but the Team GB swimmer has admitted he sees red just minutes before racing
Gordon Ramsay has something in common with Team GB’s Adam Peaty – as the Olympic swimmer admitted he experiences a “red mist” before competing.
The formidable athlete, who is currently dating Ramsay’s daughter Holly, bagged a silver in the men’s 100m breaststroke on Sunday (July 28), boosting his impressive Olympic medal collection to six, reports the Mirror.
With his potential participation in the men’s or mixed 4x100m medley relays on the horizon, success may yet bloom for Peaty despite recent hurdles, such as a positive Covid-19 result which could sabotage his involvement.
Prior to the men’s breaststroke, the swimmer was in conversation with Ramsay as the 29-year-old shared a revealing insight into his pre-race mental preparation. Affirming a shared understanding, Ramsay related to the “red mist” experience known all too well amidst the intensity of a busy kitchen.
Peaty detailed his routine two hours prior to race time, telling the BBC: “If anything, I’m trying to calm myself down because I’m too excited, playlist, stretching [or] thinking of happy moments with Holly, George, my mum and dad.
“So flooding the mind with optimism and hope until 10 minutes before that race and that’s when I see red mist and that’s when I start to get really angry.” Ramsay, no stranger to passion-fuelled outbursts on television, empathises with his adrenaline-charged transformation, hinting at employing similar methods to Peaty.
Ramsay confessed his own way of dealing with the pressures of high expectations, responding: “You’ve got that determination to outsmart everyone with that comes anger that is misconstrued, how do you vent, because I get it straight off my chest,” with Peaty replying: “I do that but it offends people.”
After testing positive for Covid-19, Peaty now has a battle to be ready in time for the weekend competitions. Nevertheless, merely making a return to the Olympics is a victory on its own considering his well-publicised mental health challenges.
Giving his thoughts after securing silver, Peaty talked to the BBC: “I gave it my absolute all,” he shared. “I executed it as well as I could. It’s not about the end goal, it’s about the process. It doesn’t matter what time it says on the scoreboard, I think in my heart I have already won.
“I’m so happy that I can race against the best in the world and still come joint-second. In my heart I have won, these are happy tears. I gave my absolute best every single day and I cannot be upset about that. I’m almost an older man here now. I can’t have that relentless pursuit every single day without a sacrifice of some sort – they come in every single form. It’s very hard to compete with the younger ones, so I’m very happy with that.”
