Adam Wilkie (Bn 11): In My Father’s Lane

Old Wellingtonian, Adam Wilkie (Bn 2006-11), son of Olympic champion David Wilkie MBE, has quit his job to take on an extraordinary challenge: to match his father’s world record-breaking 200m breaststroke time – 50 years after it made history, and just two years after his father’s death from cancer.

David Wilkie was one of the most iconic British Olympians of his era, winning the 200m breaststroke gold at the Montreal Olympics in 1976. Adam has given himself a year to try and match his dad’s time – a world record at the time: two minutes 15.11 seconds.

The record has been lowered by about 10 seconds since then, but this time would still have ranked in the top five at last year’s British Championships.

Inspired by the iconic 2:15.11 swim, he is aiming to raise £215,000 for SportsAid – the charity that supported his father as its first-ever award recipient in 1976. Today, SportsAid helps young athletes who might otherwise be forced to give up their sport due to financial barriers, turning Adam’s challenge into a powerful, living legacy.

David and Adam, 2001

On his challenge, Adam says:

“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?’ But I’m trying to pay homage to my father, keep his memory alive in my own mind and test myself. I’m testing myself against the yardstick of the greatest man I knew, who was my dad.”

Adam’s story has already been featured in The Times, on the BBC, on TV and more. You can follow his journey on Instagram @WilkieSwims

To find out more and support Adam, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/page/in-my-fathers-lane