Bohl’s new lease on life

Veteran coach in the swim with fresh Coast gig

MICHAEL Bohl’s Gold Coast switch has sparked a career renaissance that could carry the veteran coach to the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham – and beyond.

After 14 successful years at St Peters Western, Bohl left the Brisbane-based powerhouse in October to head up the new high-performance centre at Griffith University’s Southport campus.

His elite squad includes five Commonwealth Gamesbound athletes in Emma and David McKeon, Madeline Groves, Grant Irvine and daughter Georgia, with the 56year-old to serve as one of two mentor coaches for the wider Australian Games swim team.

Having competed or coached at every Games since 1982, Bohl knows his career is coming to an end, but said his Coast challenge had been invigorating.

“The St Peters position was very long – you’re coaching from early morning through to midmorning and … I’m 56 years of age now and you feel a little bit less energised. I think coming to a situation like this just extends my (coaching) life a little bit,” the Biggera Waters resident told the Bulletin.

“(At St Peters) we really started from nothing and built it into the best club in Australia at age and open level. We were happy with what we did there and I guess it’s a new challenge trying to get things going here and we’re really enjoying the process of trying to make the Griffith program into a leading program.

“I’m going to make it through to at least the next Olympics and I’ve got a position here for another four years so we’ll see what happens after that.”

With former Olympic rower Duncan Free serving as director of Griffith’s Sports College, Bohl said the university’s swimming program would go from strength to strength.

“I think when (I heard) it was Duncan that was going to be in charge that was a bit of a sweetener,” he said.