33-year-old marketing manager Adam Wilkie of Britain has left his job and started a mission which sports experts are considering completely impossible. Adam has given himself a year to equal the 50-year-old world record set by his late father and legendary British Olympian David Wilkie. Adam has never had any connection with professional swimming. But, after his father’s demise due to cancer in 2024, he has taken this difficult decision to pay him a unique tribute. David Wilkie was one of the most iconic swimmers of the 1970s. David won the gold medal in the 200 meter breaststroke in the 1976 Montreal Olympics with a timing of 2 minutes 15.11 seconds. This was a big world record at that time. Now Adam’s aim is to achieve this same timing of 2 minutes 15.11 seconds, exactly 50 years later. Although this record has reduced by about 10 seconds in the last 50 years, the time of 2 minutes 15 seconds is still so good that any swimmer with this timing in last year’s British Championships would have easily made his place in the top-5. For Adam this journey is like climbing a mountain. Adam, who was afraid of deep water in swimming pools as a child, will now do six to eight tough swimming sessions a week. Adam said that he has never taken up swimming seriously since he was 18 years old. But now he is training full-time under the supervision of a professional coach. He is also taking part in the Aquatics GB Swimming Championships which started this week. Adam says, ‘This journey will be very painful. There will be moments when I sit by the pool and ask myself why I chose this madness. Everyone is saying I have no chance, but I want to do it. I want to test myself by the standards of the greatest man I knew – my father. Adam will also visit those places where his father swam. During this one-year expedition, Adam will also visit those historical places where his father swam. These include Sri Lanka (where David was born), Scotland, Miami, Montreal. Along with this, he will also raise charity funds for ‘Sports Aid’, an organization that supports the dreams of young players.
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