JUST SETTLE DOWN COACH
ARIARNE TELLS BOXALL TO STAY CALM AFTER ‘LOSING IT’
YOU wouldn’t know it from his wild celebrations when Ariarne Titmus won gold in the 400m freestyle, but coach Dean Boxall has never been calmer in his life.
As Titmus edged her way in front of Katie Ledecky, Boxall went bonkers in the stand, tearing off his mask, scaring a Japanese attendant, and testing the strength of a stadium barrier. If he had his way, Boxall would be running up and down the pool deck, yelling support at the top of his lungs, but he’s had to cut down on the theatrics.
Instead, he satisfied himself with his performance in the stands — which he said was channelling his favourite wrestler The Ultimate Warrior – and then followed it up with tears during the medal ceremony. Titmus said she tried to contain her emotions as she listened to the national anthem.
“But I looked over and saw Dean balling his eyes out,” she said.
Boxall said later Titmus told him to settle down. “I think I was more emotional than her,’’ he said.
“I just lost it, it’s a moment, that’s a moment of being with her for five years and, you know, having a dream together.”
Even though his best swimmers all love his enthusiasm and the passion he brings to the sport, Boxall also knows not everyone likes his eccentric ways. And at a time when coaches are under increasing scrutiny, he’s had to mellow. That’s the theory at least because Boxall’s weakness is that he just can’t help himself.
“To be part of the
Australian swimming team, for me, it’s the greatest honour,” he said.
“Working with a bunch of resilient athletes striving to do their best, how can you not be excited by that?”
Boxall has quickly become one of the biggest social media hits of the Tokyo Olympics because of his unbridled support for his swimmers.
A throwback to legendary Aussie coach Laurie Lawrence, he just can’t keep still or hide his emotions, no matter how hard he tries.
The irony is that he was mentored by master coach Michael Bohl, one of the coolest coaches on the pool deck, but their personalities could not be more different.
“Bohly has been like a father and a brother and a friend to me, but we are not the same,” Boxall said.
“He’s very calm and relaxed and keeps an even keel. He’s a bit like Wayne Bennett, whereas I’m probably a bit more like Craig Bellamy or Justin Langer. I get very emotional.
“From a professional development point of view, I’d love to spend some time with those guys, just watching how they go about managing their players and preparing them for games. I find them so interesting to watch when they’re in the box – one minute they’re blowing off steam, then the next they’re sitting down and cheering, and I think I express myself the same way.” Younger than most of his colleagues, and with longer hair, Boxall stands out from most of the national team coaches in more ways than one. He didn’t study coaching or learn his trade from manuals - his coaching style is based on gut instinct and hard training.
He makes no apology for pushing his swimmers hard, but the results are spectacular.
Six swimmers from his St Peters Western club in Brisbane made the Australian Olympic team for Tokyo: Titmus, Elijah Winnington, Mitch Larkin, Meg Harris, Mollie O’Callaghan and Abbey Harkin. Two of them have won gold medals within the first three days of competition. All of his elite swimmers will tell you they went to Boxall because they believed he could help them win.
Titmus moved from Tasmania to Queensland with her family when she was in her early teens. Larkin moved to Boxall in 2017. While Boxall has a reputation as a master motivator, his most effective tool is the one that rarely gets any attention – he knows when to give them space.