While Adam Peaty may be best known for his stellar Olympic success, he has revealed one area where his girlfriend Holly Ramsay’s father Gordon can certainly relate to him.
The gold medal-winning swimmer, 29, has revealed that he suffers from a ‘red mist’ of fury in the minutes leading up to a major race, and has to compose himself before jumping into the pool.
It’s a trait that Gordon can relate to, given the chef is best known for his foul-mouthed TV rants.
In an interview with the BBC ahead of his silver medal-winning race on Sunday, Adam was asked how he prepares for a big race.
He said: ‘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.
While Adam Peaty may be best known for his stellar Olympic success, he has revealed one area where his girlfriend Holly Ramsay’s father Gordon can certainly relate to himĀ
The swimmer narrowly missed out on a gold medal in the 100m breaststroke final on Sunday night during the Paris Olympics
‘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.’
Gordon agreed that he is no stranger to the ‘red mist,’ and said that he uses a similar trait to Adam when it comes to venting his anger.
The chef said: ‘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.’
Peaty added: ‘I do that but it offends people.’Ā
It comes after Holly paid a sweet tribute to Adam after he narrowly missed out on his third gold medal in the 100m breaststroke final at the Paris Olympics.
Taking to her Instagram Stories, Holly shared a snap of her newly manicured nails that were painted with the athlete’s initials.
She also shared a photo of her ‘pool essentials’ which were a cuddly toy and Spiderman figurine, after being joined at Saturday’s semi-finals by Adam’s three-year-old son George.
Peaty, who almost quit the sport last year, had vowed to ‘give it everything’ to win gold at his third Olympic Games.
It comes after Holly paid a sweet tribute to Adam after he narrowly missed out on his third gold medal in the 100m breaststroke final at the Paris OlympicsĀ
But he was beaten by just two hundredths of a second alongside Nick Fink who came in at the same time.
After being tipped for the win Adam broke down in tears after his shock defeat but admitted: ‘In my heart I’ve already won.’
The British swimming superstar fell agonisingly short in his bid to win his third successive Olympic title.
‘I’m not crying because I’ve come second. I am crying because it just took so much to get here. These are happy tears because I have given it my absolute best every single day and I can’t be upset about that.
‘It’s just incredibly hard. To win it once, and to win it again, and to try and win it again.
Everything I have done to this point has happened for a reason, and I am so happy I can race the best in the world and come second.
‘I am almost an older man here now. I can’t have that relentless every single day without a sacrifice of some sort.
‘It comes in many ways, my timing, my energy, my relationships. It is very hard to compete with the younger ones, but I am so happy with that because in my heart I couldn’t have done more.’
On Friday, Holly praised her boyfriend of one year, calling him an amazing father and adding that she was thankful to have watched him in his competitions.
The swimmer has previously been candid about his battles with depression and alcoholism but is happier than ever since meeting Holly in 2023.
In the post shared on Instagram, Holly said: ‘It has been an absolute privilege to have watched you this last year. Your determination and dedication is unmatched.
‘Hours of training, team meetings, gym, physio and still you have been the best father to George & the best partner to me. Being able to watch so many training sessions & host team breakfasts has made me so thankful to be a part of your world.
‘I love you. Go out there and smash it. Enjoy it all, you deserve everything and more.
‘Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. – 1 Corinthians 16:13’.
Sharing a picture which showed the athlete giving her and his son George, three, a hug she wrote: ‘My world. We are so proud of you.’
Adam recently revealed he endured ‘three years of hell’ after suffering from depression and alcoholism and splitting from his long-term girlfriend Eirianedd Munro – but has now rediscovered his passion for swimming.
He admitted he ‘didn’t want to see a pool again’ after being ‘broken’ by the sport, turning to drinking and partying as an escape.
When asked why he didn’t quit the sport all together when at his lowest he said: ‘I was within a hair of giving it all up. What was I going back for? Pride? It took a while to find the answer.
‘But I wanted to teach [my son] George and any other children I have in future that you don’t give up when things get hard or the world feels like it’s against you. You give up when the time is right. I can take losses, but I couldn’t take regret. Regret would eat any man inside out.’
