Adam Peaty grabbed the headlines as the first medal winner for Team GB’s record haul at the 2016 Olympic Games, becoming the first male Olympic champion in swimming since 1988.
He won the 100 Breaststroke gold in spectacular fashion, twice smashing his own world record on route to finishing more than one and a half seconds ahead of his rivals in what was arguably the most dominant performance in the Olympic pool. Adam’s command of the event means he now concurrently holds the Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth titles.
A phenomenal 56.59 second leg split in the 4x100 Medley relay helped Team GB win a silver medal and break the British record in the final. This bettered the previous best relay split by more than a second (also held by Adam). Adam’s double medal winning contribution meant that Rio was Britain’s most successful performance in the pool since 1908.
The winner of the Swimming Athlete of the Year award is decided by our panel of judges and will announced during the British Swimming Awards in London on 5 November.