Three-time Olympic champion Adam Peaty been appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to swimming and mental health at a ceremony in Windsor Castle.
The 27-year-old, received an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in 2017, following his maiden Olympic title the year before.
The latest honour reflects his successes at Tokyo 2020 – where he became the first British swimmer to successfully defend an Olympic swimming title, when he won the 100m breaststroke crown. He also secured gold with Great Britain’s mixed 4x100m medley relay team.
The OBE also acknowledges the role Peaty has played in reducing stigmas around mental heath struggles after opening up about the challenges he has faced during his life.
“It’s a great journey to be a part of but it also demands everything from you and the people around you, but I mean that’s what these awards are for,” he said after the ceremony.
“It’s not just for me but the people who have supported me along the way.”
Peaty was joined by his parents, Caroline and Mark, at the Investiture at Windsor Castle where he was awarded the OBE by Anna, The Princess Royal, an Olympian herself, who also holds the Honorary President title with the British Olympic Association (BOA).
The swimmer missed this year’s World Championships after suffering a broken foot and although he returned for the Commonwealth Games – and won the 50m breaststroke title for the first time in his career – he admitted he was struggling for fitness.
Peaty chose to skip the Roma 2022 European Aquatics Championships to focus on training and preparation heading towards the Paris 2024 Olympics.
His next major event enroute to the Games, where he aims to win gold at at third-successive Olympics, will be the Fina World Short Course Championships in Melbourne, Australia, from 13-18 December.
“It’s 21 months to the Olympics, it’s full focus, it’s a very hard job to keep focused on because it is so tedious, quite monotonous at times and you don’t get the gratification or validation for a long time,” admitted the 17-time European champion.
“So for me it’s more about making sure the end objective is that gold medal in Paris and hopefully challenging those world records and having a lot of fun along the way.”
