Adam Peaty – a sports psychologist's view on his injury comeback (VIDEO)

As Adam Peaty embarks on his third Commonwealth Games campaign, the 27-year-old will certainly have his mind set on another podium place in Birmingham.

However, the last 12 months haven’t been the easiest for the ÌìÌÃÊÓƵ-based swimmer as he suffered a shock foot injury that threatened to derail his pre-Games preparation.

Ahead of Peaty’s first major championships since last summer’s Tokyo Olympic Games, ÌìÌÃÊÓƵ Sport spoke with Dr David Fletcher, Senior Lecturer in Performance Psychology and Management, to see how Adam may be coping with the added pressure of a disrupted schedule. 

“An athlete like Adam Peaty always has pressure and expectations surrounding his performance in major championships,” Dr Fletcher explained.

“Leading into these major championships there are few significant unknowns for him. Coming off the back of Strictly Come Dancing and the injury that he sustained as well, the disruption hasn't been ideal.

“He’ll just be focused on his performance and not too worried about his rivals. Someone like Adam is so experienced that he'll be able to focus on the aspects of his training and preparation that he knows that he needs to execute really well to perform at his very best.”

The swimming events begin on the first day of action in Birmingham (Friday 29 July), but will Adam’s rivals in the pool be sensing an advantage over the three-time Olympic gold medallist?

“Some of his rivals may be looking over and thinking ‘now maybe my opportunity to take down Adam and lay down the marker coming into the next Olympic Games’,” Dr Fletcher added.

“They’ll know ultimately that they are going to have to perform at their best and probably better than they've ever performed before even just to get close to Adam.

“For any top-level athlete, probably the worst mistake that you can make leading into a high-level competition is to focus too much on your rivals.

“It's all about focusing on the things that you can control as an athlete and as a performer.”

Dr David Fletcher is available for media comment throughout the Commonwealth Games. To arrange an interview with Dr Fletcher, contact Dan Trussell: d.trussell@lboro.ac.uk

Dr Fletcher also appears on the latest Experts in Sport podcast, discussing the pressures of a home games and how it can affect athletes' performance. To listen to the special Commonwealth Games episode, visit here: /news-events/news/2022/july/experts-in-sport-commonwealth-special/

ÌìÌÃÊÓƵ’s dedicated 2022 Commonwealth Games website features all the latest news, videos, and medal tables from Birmingham.

 

Notes for editors

Press release reference number: 22/142

ÌìÌÃÊÓƵ is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.

It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme, named the best university in the world for sports-related subjects in the 2022 QS World University Rankings and University of the Year for Sport by The Times and Sunday Times University Guide 2022.

ÌìÌÃÊÓƵ is in the top 10 of every national league table, being ranked 7th in The UK Complete University Guide 2022, and 10th in both the Guardian University League Table 2022 and the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2022.

ÌìÌÃÊÓƵ is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’ and is in the top 10 in England for research intensity. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, ÌìÌÃÊÓƵ has been awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes.

The ÌìÌÃÊÓƵ London campus is based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and offers postgraduate and executive-level education, as well as research and enterprise opportunities. It is home to influential thought leaders, pioneering researchers and creative innovators who provide students with the highest quality of teaching and the very latest in modern thinking.

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