Swim coach sees silver lining in coverage
SWIMMING Australia head coach Jacco Verhaeren says world champion backstroker Emily Seebohm needs to cocoon herself from media coverage during major meets if she can’t handle how she is being covered.
Verhaeren dismissed suggestions by Seebohm that media “downgraded” her silver medal-winning achievements in the pool.
The 25-year-old finished second to outstanding Canadian world recordholder Kylie Masse in the 100m backstroke on Saturday night, going within a whisker of upsetting the world champion in a thrilling race, but complained on social media that her efforts had not been appreciated.
“I felt happy with it but I felt media-wise it was a bigger deal that I didn’t get gold, that it wasn’t an achievement to win silver,” she said.
But Verhaeren said he was not concerned about her mindset.
“I don’t think that whatever you guys broadcast or write down should affect any performance,” he said.
“I think, if you can’t handle that, stop reading newspapers.”
Seebohm knows spending time online can be like going down the rabbit hole, having lamented her late-night use of social media at the London Olympics in 2012 after finishing behind American champion Missy Franklin.
Australia has not placed a ban on the use of social media at these Games, with Verhaeren saying his team was well versed in the risk of too much use.
Verhaeren has been pleased with the Aussies’ performance and highlighted the efforts of the young 4x200m relay squad as the team looks to the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. “At the moment ... it’s our strongest men’s relay with definitely a lot of potential and a lot of depth in there,” he said.