British breaststroking speed demon, Adam Peaty, has just been announced as one of 12 contenders for this year’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year award. 2015 marks the 2nd year in a row that the 20-year-old has been on the short list to win the prestigious honor.
After his stunning 2014 Commonwealth Games where he earned gold medals in the 100m breaststroke and 4x100m medley relay, along with a solver in the 50m breaststroke, Peaty wreaked havoc on the field at the European Championships in Berlin, where he earned 4 more gold medals. Peaty ended 2014 with 3 titles at the Short Course World Championships in Doha, and made history by becoming the first British swimmer to clock a sub-minute time for the 100m breaststroke. Peaty earned 9.899 of the 620,932 total votes last year, with Formula One World Champion, Lewis Hamilton, coming away with 2014’s Sports Personality of the Year award.
Peaty’s list of feats of 2015 are no less eye-popping, by first cracking a new World Record in the men’s 100m breaststroke in an incredible time of 57.92 at the British Championships this past April. While competing in Kazan, Peaty would go on to become the first British man to complete the 50m and 100m breaststroke gold double at a World Championships, breaking the world record in the 50m distance (26.42) in the process. Peaty was also an integral part of Great Britain’s mixed 4x100m medley relay that not only won gold, but also clocked a new world record time in the race.
Amazing to have been nominated again for @BBCSPOTY some great athletes contending but honoured to be a part of it all and represent my sport
— Adam Peaty (@adam_peaty) November 30, 2015
Peaty is up against Great Britain’s most accomplished athletes from 2015, including world heptathlon winner, Jessica Ennis-Hill, World Champion and Olympic gold medalist distance runner Mo Farrah, as well as recent unexpected Heavy Weight Boxing Champion, Tyson Fury, just to name a few.
In the past, two swimmers have earned the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, with Ian Black having won in 1958, followed by Anita Lonsbrough in 1962.
Peaty is set to swim at the European Short Course Championships in Netanya, Israel, which starts this week.
