Adam Wilkie is a 33-year-old Scottish marketing manager who recently quit his desk job to train swimming full time.
His goal to train his way to a 2:15.11 200 breaststroke as someone who has not hit the pool in over a decade seems dubious. However, he has genetics on his side.
Adam is the son of the late David Wilkie, the 1976 Montreal Olympic Champion in the 200 breaststroke and the event’s former record holder. In an effort to connect with his dad, who died of cancer in 2024, Adam is picking up the cap and goggles. He wants to travel to many of the pools that his father competed in, including the Montreal pool where David struck gold. Ultimately, though, his aim is to best his dad’s former world record of 2:15.11.
Adam is giving himself a year to reach this goal. The BBC originally reported he would get a baseline time at the spring’s Aquatics GB championships. While he did not end up swimming there, he shared on Instagram that he officially started on June 1st, logging a baseline time of 2:57 in his dad’s bread-and-butter event. This weekend, he took to the blocks for the first time, turning in 33 in the 50 breast and 1:14 in the 100.
Even though the world record has dropped nearly 10 seconds in the last 50 years, 2:15 is still quite a challenge to reach. Adam does not seem to be under any delusions about the difficulty, though. He told news outlets he intends to be in the pool up to eight times a week, and he will have access to Aquatics GB’s top facilities and sports science.
In addition to the time goal, Adam also wants to raise £215k ($284k) for Team Sports Aid, a British nonprofit that financially assist’s the nation’s top athletes. David Wilkie was the first athlete to receive assistance from the organization.
You can follow Adam’s journey and find the donation links on his Instagram page.
In April Adam swam a 2.57 for the event, showing how much work he needs to do.
This is very cool. I would be interested to know how he will have access to Aquatics GB’s top facilities/sports science as these are typically reserved for athletes in National Centres?
Aw, what an admirable goal. Go Adam!
David Wilke, U of Miami Hurricane. RIP David.
Should grow a matching stash.
Curious what Adam’s best times were when he did swim. Given his baseline times, I’d say almost no shot, but you have to admire the effort.
Agreed about the past baseline best times. It’s pretty much the only piece of information that matters, and it’s nowhere in anyone’s coverage of this.
Kind of like Mary T getting back in the pool and setting masters world records after years out of the water. Except she’s Mary T and was getting back in with a past baseline of 57 and 2:05. Unsurprisingly, it made a difference.
The Aquatics GB rankings have no information at all for any previous swims.
This is so cool! And for a 50 year old time, that is legitimately fast! Good luck chasing the dream, what a wonderful way to honor your late Father.
Yeah, with crappy suits, no underwater butterfly kicks, touching with both hands at the same level, head required to be above water at all times during the swim part, etc.
I don’t think there were even underwater pullouts at that point.
Go Adam go! Enjoy the memories you make along the way and may you smile at the memories that surface of your Dad that arise along the journey.