Mum and Dad settle Coll’s nerves
It’s been mum’s the word up until now, but the secret to calming the nerves of Kiwi athlete and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Paul Coll is, in fact, his Mum’s word. And Dad’s, too.
The parents of the 30-year-old Coll were on tenterhooks yesterday as they watched on TV as he battled it out on the squash court with Welshman Joel Makin in Birmingham 3-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-8, 11-7 to win his first gold.
‘‘We are so proud and so happy,’’ said mum Julie Coll while celebrating with the family in Greymouth on the West Coast.
The family were at the 2018 Gold Coast games where Coll secured a silver medal, but this latest gold medal had always been his goal. ‘‘He wanted it so badly so, and it’s been very emotional,’’ said Julie.
‘‘He was quite devastated when he got silver last time, so he really wanted that gold.’’
The gold medal has capped Coll’s most successful year on the squash court. He defended his British Open title in April and, for a time, was ranked world No 1. He is currently No 2.
But yesterday’s win didn’t look a sure thing earlier in the event. Coll’s mother admits they were all a little nervous about his form – not because he didn’t have the talent, but because his own expectations were threatening it.
‘‘The pressure affected him early in the tournament. He was really struggling with the pressure of winning, he wanted it so badly,’’ she said.
‘‘We had to talk to him and say, well, forget about the medal and just concentrate on what you are doing, one game at a time, one point at a time, and then it comes.’’
Michael and Julie Coll have supported their son from the getgo, always backing him to get to the top. So when she could see Coll was stressed leading into the final, the three of them got on the phone.
‘‘Sometimes they just need to be able to talk to somebody who understands. He’s got mental coaches and that helps him a lot, but every now and again when the emotions are too much he will come to his father and me,’’ said Julie.
‘‘Once he got back into his professional mode and got away from all the emotion of it, we could see he was on track.’’
Watching from the living room at home wasn’t easy viewing, she said. ‘‘Joel played so well, it was a real battle to win it.’’
The gold medal is the Coll family’s proudest moment, and it seems Coll would agree.
After receiving his gold medal Coll declared it ‘‘one of the best moments of my life’’, but conceded he had had to ‘‘dig deep’’.