How tough love from her father and coach turned Georgia Bohl into a Commonwealth Games medallist

It was tough love from Georgia Bohl’s father, national swimming coach Michael, that ignited the Rio Olympian and Gold Coast Commonwealth Games gold and bronze medallist on her journey into the Australian Dolphins swim team.

Georgia Bohl in full cry during the women's 4x100m medley relay final. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

It was tough love from Georgia Bohl’s father, national swimming coach Michael, that ignited the Rio Olympian and Gold Coast Commonwealth Games gold and bronze medallist on her journey into the Australian Dolphins swim team.

Georgia, a product of Wilston State School, was in the early stages of her swimming career, aged 13 or 14, when she swam a qualifying time to attend the age nationals for the 100m breaststroke

“But dad said I was not racing because I had not trained properly,’’ Georgia recalled.

He said “you are not doing nationals because you have not earnt the spot’. “But he made me go down and watch.

“So that kind of ignited the inner fire.

“The year after I choose to take it more seriously.’’

Georgia Bohl and Griffith University Swim Club team mate Emma McKeon after winning a relay gold. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

And serious she became, at 15 winning her first age final. “From then on I kept improving,’’ recalled the former Grange Thistle soccer junior.

She made her first open Australian team in 2016 and from there it was onto the Rio Olympic swim team

“I did not go as well as I would have liked (in Rio), but that was my first ever (senior) meet really,’’ said Bohl, a former Wilston resident who now trains with her father at the Griffith University Swim Club on the Gold Coast.

And as her father had always said to his swimmers, race practice was the best type of experience and the race experience gained by Bohl in Rio was invaluable with an eye to the Commonwealth Games.

Georgia Bohl in the weights room at the Griffith University Swim Club.

“I did not go as well as I wanted but I took a lot away from the experience,’’ said Bohl, a past secondary student of St Peters Lutheran College.

“And I had never been that nervous in my life. I had never been all these things.

“So I think it has taught me a lot about myself and it has also taught me to be a lot stronger as well.

“Most people go Comm Games, World (championships), Olympics. I went Olympics, Comm Games. I have gone from top to bottom.

“Dad always says to us race experience is the best type of training, race practice is just as important as training.

“He says you can get people very fit, but putting them up on the blocks is completely different.’’