Agência Brasil, CC BY 3.0 BR <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/br/deed.en>, via Wikimedia Commons
Salford swimming coach, John Stout, has hailed Adam Peaty’s nomination in SPOTY as a success for the sport.
“When you look at what he’s done, there’s not many athletes you can hold up and say they’ve been double Olympic champion, especially in an individual sport [such] as this. He deserves the nomination and hopefully he’ll be successful,” remarked John.
John Stout is a Salford based swimming coach who is Aquatic Development Manager and Head Coach at the SCL (Salford Community Leisure centre).
He also coaches at the SOSSC (City of Salford Swimming Club), the competitive vehicle of the SCL that aims to take swimmers to the national and international stage.
“So basically I manage all that and coach the top level athletes in the programme,” says John.
“I’ve had experience working with the GB Paralympic team in London 2012, I spent five years on the GB para team there – I’ve also coached the GB junior team in the past as well.
“I’ve coached every national champion you could imagine, age groups youth level to senior. So that’s it in a nutshell, a few international swimmers as well over a 30 year coaching career.”
With an impressive resume, John was quick to praise Adam’s nomination and what it might mean for the sport.
He said: “It can only be good news and it can only be positive.
“It reflects on swimmers up and down the country who are all training many many hours a week. Most athletes who operate at Adam’s level will be training around 20 hours a week. This will be supplemented by another 5 or 6 hours in the gym with strength and conditioning work.
“An awful lot of work goes into becoming an elite swimmer and its really good news for all those people out there to see someone like Adam being upheld as one of the key sports people in the country. Hopefully he can win it!”
John also looks at the nomination as something that can inspire people from across the nation:
“With the recognition that you get from being SPOTY, many people will be watching it, so it’s massively raising the profile of both Adam and the sport in general.
“Hopefully it will encourage more people to get in pools, learn how to swim and take the skills further to a competitive level.”
Here is John talking about the importance of idols like Adam:
A sport underappreciated
Adam Peaty is one of six SPOTY nominations that include the likes of boxing star Tyson Fury, tennis ace Emma Raducanu and football’s Raheem Sterling.
Peaty has enjoyed a very successful 2021, and his name is rightfully included with UK sporting’s best. He powered home to win Team GB’s first Gold medal of the games, defending his Olympic title in the 100m breaststroke.
Adam also played an instrumental role in Great Britain’s historic mixed 4x100m medley relay victory and the silver claimed by the men’s medley relay line-up.
His nomination for this years sports celebration is a success for swimmers across the nation and gives some much needed recognition for a sport that is often underrepresented:
“It is unfortunate that other sports are more high profile,” says John.
“Because there’s much more money and commercialism attached to them, like football and F1, they’re more high profile because of the money and sponsorships involved and unfortunately that’s why. The more money, sponsorships and profile a sport gets then the more media attention and so more people know about them.
“So yes it is unfortunate that swimming is marginalized to a certain degree, but it’s always playing second fiddle to sports with the bigger money behind them.”
Whilst this is the case, Adam’s nomination can only benefit the sports reach and fame.
Swimming is the perfect pastime and provides excellent exercise all round, and if you feel particularly inspired by Adam, there are plenty of reasons to jump in (at the shallow end of course).
SCL are available for inquiry at Home – SCL (salfordcommunityleisure.co.uk) and are available to contact on 0161 778 0439.
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