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Aug 2021

Last Updated: 23/08/2021

Harrogate

Olympian Adam Peaty inspires young swimmers in Harrogate

by Connor Creaghan

| 23 Aug, 2021

Fresh from taking two gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics and the announcement that he will take part in Strictly Come Dancing, Peaty was keen to take that momentum with him. "It's not necessarily the talent, it's more about the energy" he says.

Adam Peaty with some of the new generation of swimmers.

Olympian Adam Peaty has inspired the next generation of swimmers in Harrogate at Ashville College today.

Adam Peaty headed to the college's sports centre early this morning, where he will be all day to train young athletes and leave parents and staff starstruck.

Fresh from taking two gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics and the announcement that he will take part in Strictly Come Dancing, Mr Peaty was keen to take that momentum with him.

The Race Clinic in Harrogate was a £219 per ticket sell-out event.

It is one of ten taking part across the UK and the only one in Yorkshire. Staff at Ashville College believe that he may be back next year as well.

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Adam Peaty told the Stray Ferret outside the sports centre where there was a festival atmosphere:

"I mean obviously you can win Olympics and do everything in your sport but if you cannot take that to the grassroots level back home then you are not maximising that potential.

"So this is the whole project around it. You never know what the butterfly effect of something like this can be.

"It's not necessarily the talent, it's more about the energy. We overwork and overthink with our children. I just want them to stay in the present and enjoy the moment, have a bit of a laugh."

Dominic Bradburne, director of sport at Ashville College, also told the Stray Ferret:

"I don't think we can measure the difference it will make, maybe we will see that in 10 or even 15 years time.

"Adam could inspire that one person to become a star, we just do not know. I am sure that everyone will take something away from today.

"Who knows? We might see some of these pupils here today at the next Olympics. I have spoken to him a couple of times, he's very grounded.

"We can only hope that we have picked up some knowledge from him and take that into the other sports camps we have got at Ashville College."

The swim clinic features three different stations. The first will focus on the breaststroke and will be led by Adam Peaty and Edward Baxter, a British swimming champion and record holder.

Adam Peaty’s gym coach Robert Norman will lead the second session which will dive into injury prevention.

Station three, led by Tim Shuttleworth, will give an insight into how to gain the mental edge necessary to compete successfully.

It comes just weeks after one of the biggest names in world ballet Wayne Sleep also visited the school for the Yorkshire Ballet Seminar.

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Olympian Adam Peaty inspires young swimmers in Harrogate

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