Courtesy of Way Funky Company, a SwimSwam partner since 2014.
by Harry Bamforth, a former swimmer based in Birmingham
British swimmer Jacob Peters will be hopping on a plane shortly, but not to Doha. The butterfly specialist will be arriving in Australia for a warm-weather training camp on the Gold Coast. His focus is set on the British Olympic Trials in April and breaking another British Record, in the hope of earning a ticket to Paris.
The Funky Trunks-sponsored athlete will take to the pool at the London Aquatics Centre between 2-7 April, aiming to earn his second Olympic cap. After making his Olympic debut in Tokyo, Peters is focusing on making the Great Britain team first.
“Step one for me is obviously to qualify because you’ve got up-and-comers, it’s an Olympic year, people come out of absolutely nowhere. This year is the year that everyone just steps it up a gear and gives it their all. So, I’m not thinking I’ll be in Paris yet! My target for Trials is that I want to get as close to that British record as possible. I think I’ve got it in me.
“If I’m where I know I can be at Trials, and if I move on at the Olympics, it puts me in a medal contention spot for Paris. Anything can happen, so I’m not looking too far ahead yet. I still have a job to do in April, and we’ll take it from there.”
Peters wears Teal Wave Funky Trunks.
Peters has set himself up well for Trials, ending 2023 on a high securing a silver and a bronze medal at the European Short Course Swimming Championships in Otopeni, Romania, in December. Whilst his silver came in the men’s 4x50m medley relay, the butterfly swimmer’s bronze was his first senior individual international medal, in the men’s 100m butterfly with 49.98.
“It was my first ever individual medal,” said Peters.
“I’ve won medals before as part of relay teams, but that was the first time I’ve ever stood on the podium by myself. When you stand up there as part of a team, it’s amazing and when you get the medal, even if you’re a heat swimmer, it’s still a good feeling to know that you are part of that team. But because it was my first individual medal, it was obviously special to me.”
The GB international also broke a British record in Romania, taking out Ben Proud’s previous mark in the 50m butterfly, in a time of 22.10.
Whilst Peters is proud of his achievements at Europeans, he doesn’t want his momentum to stop there.
“Breaking Ben Proud’s British record, an amazing guy to take it from. He has a legacy, bigger than most in the sprinting world. Hopefully, I can just get some long course ones soon.”
Peters packs his Dive In Funky Trunks for Australia.
The 23-year-old’s journey to the highest level of the sport has had its ups and downs, but he is now reaping the rewards of all his hard work. The 23-year-old arrived on the senior international scene in 2018 at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and has raced at the European and World Championships, as well as the Olympics, in the years that have followed.
“It’s been an incredible journey; I’ve loved every part of it,” said Peters.
At 16, the Poole-born athlete made a splash at British nationals, securing three gold medals in the 50m,100m, and 200m Butterfly. This moment proved a turning point in his career and showed him that a professional career in the sport was a possibility.
“It was the moment that I realised I could take it more seriously. At that point, I was doing something because I enjoyed it. I enjoyed working hard and pushing myself, I enjoyed the certain family that you get when you’re a swimmer. When I’d started making senior teams, I realised the potential, but I still didn’t realise think of it as a career.”
“When I moved to Bath and the lifestyle changes, the performance lifestyle – your whole life kind of shifts to support swimming as a career. That’s probably when I first started training and living also like it was going to be a career.”
“Last year was kind of my first year where I really did well. I made a World Championship final, coming fourth in the 50m fly. Before that, I think it’s just been getting a little bit faster every year, and getting more experience.
“I’m finally ready to try and really take that next step and show the world what I can do. Hopefully, I can challenge for those medal positions internationally.”
Jacob wears On The Grid Funky Trunks.
Peters has been a Funky Trunks athlete for nearly nine years and is excited to head to Australia with the Bath Performance Centre squad, where Funky Trunks is based.
“Funky Trunks are incredibly supportive. Their kit is like gold dust to a swimmer and they’ve supported me all the way throughout my career. We’ll aim to do another photo shoot on pool deck once I have my tan sorted.”
Funky Trunks has released its latest collection, Up The Ante, now available at www.funkytrunks.com.
Jacob wears Funky Trunks On The Grid Training Jammers.
About The Author
Harry Bamforth is a former swimmer based in Birmingham who is now a sports journalist reporting on the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and Premier League football.