Interview: Olympic glory keeps 'sleep expert' Adam Burgess wide awake
Adam Burgess might be an expert in getting to sleep but if anything is going to keep you wide awake, it is winning an Olympic medal.
The Stone canoe slalom star knows so much about how to nod off he runs classes on it.
Yet on Monday night, just hours after winning silver at Paris 2024, the 32-year-old lay on his bed, medal round his neck, knowing he was fighting a losing battle in his bid for rest.
“I did try, I was there for four hours. I used all the tools in my locker,” explained Burgess, a yoga fanatic who since 2017 has used breathwork to aid his performance, founding his own business with the Inspired Breath Academy.
“I’m a sleep expert,” he continued. “Day to day, under normal circumstances, I back myself to recover better than the competition.
“But to come down from a moment like that, especially with all the adrenaline, caffeine and sugar roaring through my system, I knew it probably wasn’t going to happen.”
Sleep or no sleep, yesterday morning Burgess was still in dreamland as he continued a round of media interviews which began almost immediately after he climbed off the podium at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium.
“It has been bonkers, an absolute whirlwind. I am still coming back to earth,” he said.
“Has it sunk in yet? It is getting there. The interviews and how busy it has been has been quite good for me to process it.
