Paris Olympic silver medalist Adam Peaty says his Christian faith has made him ‘a new man.’
Widely considered ‘the greatest men's breaststroke swimmer in history,’ as the official Olympics website states, Peaty ‘boasts three Olympic gold medals, eight world titles, and a string of world records in the 50m and 100m breaststroke events.’
He has now added to that tally a silver medal in the 100m final at Paris on Sunday evening. Speaking to the BBC afterwards, Peaty alluded to the fact that he was 'a very religious man' with 'faith in God.'
And speaking to The Standard a few days before the opening ceremony, he spoke of how when he first attended a church in Nottingham, the sermon was themed around the Olympic Games – even though no-one knew he was going to be there.
Peaty told the newspaper: ‘I was just at the back and I was like, “if this isn’t meant for me, then what is?” I don’t think society has the answers I’m seeking, especially as a young man, and it’s nothing to do with being an athlete.’
The swimmer also spoke with affection about Pastor Ashley Null, the Christian minister now based in Germany who works with several top swimmers and who helped him find faith.
The Christians in Sport website says of Null: ‘Ashley serves as a chaplain to elite athletes and coaches, helping them to integrate the Reformation's emphasis on the unconditional love and grace of God with their vocation as professional sportspeople.’
In addition, it states: ‘Null is an internationally respected scholar on the grace and gratitude theology of the English Reformation. He teaches regularly in seminaries and churches in the Americas, Europe, Africa and Australia.’
Null also co-edited a book Reformation Anglicanism: A Global Vision for Today’s Communion, with contributions from Archbishop Ben Kwashi among others, and endorsements from both J. I. Packer and Rick Warren.
Peaty has previously spoken of his faith, telling BBC Sport earlier this year: ‘I spent most of my life kind of validating, getting my gratification or life's fulfilment from my results and that led me to some dark moments.
‘And it's really living your life on a quantifiable measure of results, results, results instead of how are the people around me? How am I, how is my son, how is my family?
‘All these things actually do matter; it's not about your job, it's not just about performance.
‘And to get that, the only place I found it was at church.’
He added: ‘For me, the only fulfilment and the only peace is every Sunday at church. It gives me a nice balance.
‘It is those everyday conversations or prayers with myself that keeps me inspired, but also keeps me on the right track that I've got a gift that I will use every single day.
‘Why wouldn't I use this gift?’
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