The son of Olympic gold medalist David Wilkie is attempting to match his father’s 200m breaststroke world record time. Adam Wilkie, 33, is taking on the challenge in memory of his father, who passed away from cancer in 2024, and to raise money for charity.
David Wilkie won gold in the 200m breaststroke at the 1976 Olympics and silver in the 100m event. Adam, who works as a marketing manager, acknowledges the difficulty of the task. “He would think I am mad because he knows how hard it was,” Adam says of his father.
Matching a Champion’s Time
David Wilkie’s time was two minutes 15.11 seconds. At the time, this was a world record. While the record has since been surpassed, the time would still have been competitive at last year’s British Championships.
Full-Time Training Commences
Adam has left his job to dedicate himself to full-time training with a professional coach. He will utilise the facilities and sport science resources at Aquatics GB. Despite this access, Adam has never been an elite swimmer and was even afraid of the deep end as a child.
The Gruelling Road Ahead
Adam anticipates a demanding training schedule. This includes up to eight swimming sessions per week. “It’s going to be all-encompassing. It’s going to be the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” he says.
He is prepared for the challenges ahead. “It’s going to be incredibly painful at points and there’ll be moments where I’ll sit on the side of a pool being like: ‘Why the hell did I decide to do this?’
Adam aims to begin the challenge by setting an initial time at the Aquatics GB Swimming Championships this weekend.
Honouring a Father’s Legacy
Adam sees the challenge as a tribute to his father. “I’m trying to pay homage to my father, keep his memory alive in my own mind and test myself,” he explained. “I’m testing myself against the yardstick of the greatest man I knew, who was my dad.”
- David Wilkie won 200m breaststroke gold at the Montreal Olympics in 1976.
- Adam Wilkie is aiming to match his father’s time of two minutes 15.11 seconds.
- Adam will train full-time, having given up his job.
Adam hadn’t swum seriously since he was 18, but got back into the sport after his father’s death. He acknowledges the difficulty of the challenge, saying, “Most people who know swimming will be like, ‘he has no chance’. But I want to try.”