THE swimmer who is Britain’s No1 hope for Olympic pool gold in Rio was so scared of water as a child he used to shake in the bath.
Adam Peaty, 21, would refuse to sit down in the tub so mum Caroline washed him as he stood.
His terror at the age of four was revealed by nursery worker Caroline yesterday as she and his dad Mark prepared to fly out to Brazil.
She told how even now he hates the sea, adding: “He likes to have shoes on and wear a knee-length swimsuit. He can’t stand seaweed.”
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Caroline was determined to get Adam used to water by taking him to the pool — but his “petrified” cries stopped her.
The 100m breaststroke hopeful confessed: “I didn’t like going in the water because I thought sharks would come and get me.”
Caroline, 48, said: “It was breaking my heart to hear him scream, so I asked a friend to take him.
“Luckily Adam liked it. From then on he took lessons on a regular basis.”
Her 6ft 3in son is now a three-time world champion who holds the 100m breaststroke world record and is hot favourite for Olympic glory on Monday.
Victory will make him the first British male swimmer to clinch gold since Adrian Moorhouse triumphed in the same event in Seoul in 1988.
Adam still lives with his mum and dad Mark, 56 — a cleaner at Lidl — in Uttoxeter, Staffs.
His proud parents are breaking records themselves by making the 11,500-mile round trip to Rio, where Adam’s girlfriend Anna will join them.
It is the first time either has ever been on a plane after they sacrificed holidays to help Adam pursue his passion for swimming with twice-daily training sessions starting at 4am.
Adam, who is already at the Team GB training camp in Belo Horizonte ahead of the Games which start on Friday, said: “The furthest mum and dad have been is France.”
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