What happened to Adam Peaty? Olympic champion finishes fourth at Edinburgh swim meet in first race after wedding

Adam Peaty returned to competition this weekend, but the result gave the Olympic champion a tough reminder of how competitive swimming can be. The British star finished fourth in his first race since marrying Holly Ramsay.

The race took place at the Edinburgh International Swim Meet. Peaty, who is famous for dominating the men’s 100-meter breaststroke for years, could not reach the podium on Saturday night. Instead, the race was won by rising British swimmer Filip Nowacki. The 31-year-old swimmer touched the wall in 1:00.74, which was enough for fourth place.Nowacki won the event in 1:00.26, while Gregory Butler finished second in 1:00.37 and Max Morgan came third in 1:00.54.

Even though Peaty started strong and led the race at the halfway mark with a split time of 28.06 seconds, he slowed slightly in the final stretch. According to race results reported by BBC Sport and Swim England, the performance was far from Peaty’s famous world record of 56.88 seconds, which he set in 2019 in South Korea.

Still, the race marked an important step in his return to competition after the Paris Olympics and his recent wedding.

Adam Peaty finishes fourth at Edinburgh International Swim Meet after wedding to Holly Ramsay

For Adam Peaty, this race was about more than just the result. It was his first major long-course event since the Paris 2024 Olympics, and also the first big competition since he married Holly Ramsay. The couple tied the knot in December 2025 at Bath Abbey in England, according to reports by The Sun and BBC Sport. Holly is the daughter of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay.Peaty and Holly first met in 2021 through Holly’s sister, Tilly Ramsay.

At the time, Tilly was competing on the TV show Strictly Come Dancing while Peaty was also part of the program Their relationship slowly grew stronger over the next few years. The couple announced their engagement in September 2024, shortly after Peaty finished competing at the Paris Olympics.The wedding later became a high-profile event. Former England football captain David Beckham was among the well-known guests who attended the ceremony.

However, reports also said the day was overshadowed by a family disagreement involving Peaty’s mother.Now the Olympic swimmer is turning his full attention back to racing. He is preparing for a busy summer with two major competitions ahead. First, Peaty hopes to compete at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in July, followed by the European Championships in Paris later in the summer.To prepare for the new season, Peaty traveled to Australia last month. There, he trained on the Gold Coast with his long-time coach Mel Marshall. While finishing fourth may not match his past dominance, the race shows Peaty is slowly building momentum again as he prepares for the next stage of his career.