‘It’s going to be painful’ – the son trying to match father’s world record

‘It’s going to be painful’ – the son trying to match father’s world recordImage source, Getty Images/Family HandoutImage caption, David Wilkie won gold in the 200m breaststroke at the 1976 Olympics and silver in the 100m eventByMatthew HenryBBC Sport journalistPublished9 minutes agoHave you ever wondered how you’d fare going up against the world’s best?Badly, would be the answer for most of us.But what if the person you’re challenging is your father – the one who passed on his genes? Even if you are a marketing manager rather than a professional swimmer, that has to count for something, right?”The closest I get to any kind of sport at work is a standing desk,” says 33-year-old Adam Wilkie. “This is going to be entirely different.”Those who recognise the surname may remember David Wilkie as one of the most iconic British Olympians of his era. With his bushy moustache and long hair hidden by a swimming cap, he won 200m breaststroke gold at the Montreal Olympics in 1976.Adam has given himself a year to try and match his dad’s time, 50 years on – doing so for charity and in memory of David, who died from cancer in 2024.”He would think I am mad because he knows how hard it was,” Adam says. “He knows how hard swimming is and how much work he put in to get to that time.”But I think he would be proud that his son is trying to do something to remember him.”Peaty in action at Aquatics GB Swimming Championships live on BBC