'A dream come true': Seven-year-old swimmers in Derby meet hero Olympian Adam Peaty

Team GB's Adam Peaty is hoping to inspire a new generation of future Olympic champions, having returned home from his gold medal success at the Tokyo Olympics.

The swimmer, who is preparing to compete on Strictly Come Dancing, has taken time out of his training schedule to visit his old swimming club in Derby.

Peaty, who is from Uttoxeter near Burton-on-Trent, began the difficult journey to swimming success at the City of Derby Swimming Club.

Since then, he has gone on to win Gold in the 100m breaststroke at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and more recently in the Tokyo Games where he defended his title.

But this visit was about returning to his roots and inspiring a new generation of junior swimmers to pursue their own Olympic glory.

'Why not put the work in and win the Olympics and get a World Record?' - Adam Peaty encourages young swimmers

Peaty told some star-struck swimmers: "The biggest thing you can have, without sounding cheesy, is belief, and the biggest thing that'll complement that is a dream.

"If you're going to dream about making the Olympics, why not put the work in and win the Olympics and get a World Record?"

Seven-year-old swimmers, including Edie and Mason, are excited by this prospect and it seems they didn't need much encouragement from Peaty.

Mason said: "It was like a dream come true."

Cerri Burns, Mason's mother, said: "Mason absolutely loves Adam Peaty. Out of all the swimmers it's Adam Peaty. So I think he's a bit star-struck."

'The competitor in me will hopefully get me past...the midweeks. I'd be happy with midweek, anything after that is a bonus, anything before that is a disaster...' - Adam is now setting his sights on dominating the dance floor and adding the Strictly trophy to his ever-growing collection.

This weekend Peaty will be swapping his breast stroke kick for a different kind of leg-work when he begins competing on Strictly come Dancing.

Unsurprisingly he's not interested in a runner's up medal.

He told ITV News Central: "Their success doesn't impede on my success and vice versa. But obviously it's a competition as well so I've go to be competitive.

"Even though you want the best for them, I've still got to nail those dances and get all those moves right."