Triple Olympic gold medallist Adam Peaty has pulled out of the British Swimming Championships due to mental health reasons.
The 28-year-old said he is “not enjoying the sport” and will not compete in next month’s championships in Sheffield.
However, he said he is continuing to train and the decision to sit out of the championships was made “with the sole purpose of delivering the best performance possible in Paris at the 2024 Olympic Games”.
Peaty will be hoping to defend the 100m breaststroke and 4x100m mixed medley golds he won at Tokyo 2020.
Sharing the news on his Instagram page, Peaty said he had struggled with his mental health over the last few years “and I think it’s important to be honest about it”.
“Some might recognise it as burnout; I just know that over the last few years I haven’t had the answers. With help, now I know how I can address the imbalance in my life,” he wrote.
“Everyone wants to sit in your seat until they have to sit in your seat… very few people understand what winning and success does to an individual’s mental health. They don’t understand the pressures these individuals put on themselves to win over and over again.
“I’m tired, I’m not myself and I’m not enjoying the sport as I have done for the last decade.”
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He added he was “hugely grateful” for support from his fellow swimmers as well as family and friends.
“This sport has given me everything I am and I’m looking forward to finding the love I have for it again,” he said.
Peaty suffered a setback in 2022 after breaking his foot in a freak training accident, but was able to recover and compete at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham last summer.
A mixed event saw him finish fourth in the 100m breaststroke – his first defeat in the event in eight years – but he bounced back 48 hours later to win gold in the 50m distance.
