The Ultimate Prize

I watched the coverage of Adam Peaty in the 100m breaststroke Olympic final today and saw an elite athlete at the top of his game. His record of winning medal races at big events is phenomenal. His training and technique are all about speed and the way he moves through water so quickly is incredibly impressive to watch.

There is no stillness in Adam Peaty’s competitive stroke. Competition takes you out of the present. Fear of losing leans into the past and desire to win leans into the future. Unfortunately, our most well known ways of moving through water are based on swimming strokes used in competition. It is a widely held belief that some sort of constant body movement is required to keep us afloat in water. What is less well known, is that very nearly all humans float when not making any movements at all and being still and present while being held up by the water can be viewed as the ultimate prize.