Adam Peaty: Mum urges son to quit after Olympics

Twenty-nine-year-old Adam Peaty has previously spoken out about his struggles with mental health

Three-time Olympic swimming champion Adam Peaty's mum says she hopes he will give up swimming after the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Caroline Peaty spoke of her son's "suffering" and said she wished for him to have some "normality" now.

The 29-year-old athlete, from Staffordshire, spoke about periods of depression and problems with alcohol when he pulled out of the British championships last year, to prioritise his mental health.

Mrs Peaty said the break has made him "a better Adam" who is going into the games next month with an "open mind".

Peaty, born in Uttoxeter, has won World Championship gold medals, 17 European titles and four golds at the Commonwealth Games.

He also became the first British swimmer to defend his Olympic title, clinched in Brazil in 2016, when he took gold in the 100m race at the Tokyo Games in 2021.

He missed the 2022 World Champions after suffering a foot injury, before taking a break from the sport the following year.

Mrs Peaty said she had "noticed a difference" during her son's time off, enabling him to get in a better mental space to compete again.

"He was more like our Adam - he was like the son we sort of lost along the journey," she told the BBC.

'I know that he's happy'

"He [used to be] very focused, very insular and not very much for family. Swimming always came first, which it [had] to do.

"But I know that he's happy, he's in the place he wants to be now and he's more secure. He's ready as he'll ever be".

She told BBC Derby that the family went through a "difficult" time watching their son "suffering".

"Knowing your child is suffering no matter how old they are is difficult. Adam is very happy now - I think he's a better Adam personally than what he was before, the break has done him good", she said.

Speaking on whether this will be his last Olympics, she added: "He's going in to the Olympics not stressed, he's happy - what'll be will be

"He has an open mind on whether this is his last Olympics. I hopefully want him to finish swimming and to have some kind of normality now."