Former Coffs swimmer Maddy Gough ready to swim at Tokyo Olympics
‘She followed her dream and her dream has come true’: Aussie Olympian whose career began in Coffs is still in the hunt for a medal in Tokyo.
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Former Coffs Harbour swimmer Maddy Gough has made it through to the final of the 1500m freestyle in Tokyo.
The young Olympian came fourth in her heat on Monday night, securing her place in the final with a time of 15:56.81. While Gough did just enough in heat four, she will be buoyed by the knowledge she is capable of a much faster time, having set the Australian record just a month earlier.
When she competes in the final on Wednesday night however, she will do so knowing the entire Coffs Harbour swimming community is behind her.
Gough has now achieved a lifelong dream of competing in an Olympic Games and her former coach Dean Laurence says the local pool has been abuzz since she first qualified and there would have been a few tired eyes at training on Tuesday morning with many of their junior squad staying up late and watch her compete.
The North Coast Swim Academy coach has been in touch with Gough since she landed in Japan and says she was surprised at how much support she was getting from her hometown.
Gough left Coffs Harbour for the Gold Coast as a teenager to pursue her Olympic dream.
“She is so proud of that, that everybody from Coffs Harbour is behind her,” Laurence said.
“It shocked her really, but she is an Australian champion now – she has to expect that.
“I am so proud of her, she followed her dream and her dream has come true.”
Gough has hit form at the perfect time and Laurence suggests that the postponed Olympics has helped by giving her an extra year to develop.
In September she smashed the Australian shortcourse 1500m record, posting the eighth-fastest time in history before beating her own record a month later and breaking into the worldwide top five.
Then in June Gough booked her ticket to Tokyo in emphatic style by setting an Australian 1500m long-course record in the Olympic qualifiers in Adelaide.
Soon after making the squad Gough, who is studying a Bachelor of Biomedicine at Bond University, said it felt “amazing to be part of making history” by competing in the 1500m in Tokyo.
It is the first time the event has been held for women.
“It is still new, everyone is learning the best way to swim it, and every time I swim it there is a different tactic and we try a different thing,” she said.
“I am definitely aiming to make the final and hope to go faster that I went at trials.”
Maddy also opened up on the transition from living in a relatively small town to living in a bigger city
“I was competitive in Coffs Harbour, but then I’d come to the Gold Coast or Sydney and realise that there were a lot of people that swum a lot faster.”
“To make the Olympics and swim for Australia means so much. I’ve trained so hard, so many people have helped me, it’s been my dream for a long time.
“I’ve been wanting to go since I was 10.”
Reflecting on how far Gough had come since she was a young kid, Laurence said she clearly still had the same hunger and her success had not changed her one bit.
“She is still the same girl,” he said. “She has just stayed level headed and she just loves swimming.”
“She was one of those girls … the more you could give her (the better). She never complained, she just did the work and she just grew on it.”
“She knew she had to move on to fulfil her dreams and she had to adjust to that but once (she did) she was fine.”
“It’s an experience for her. And my words to her were just to take it all in. Whatever you do on the day is great for everyone.”
Maddy Gough swims in the Women’s 1500m freestyle final 12.45 EST on Wednesday July 27.
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