‘I want it back’: Stubblety-Cook’s plan to defend his Olympic title and get his World Record back
Zac Stubblety-Cook says that losing his World Record was exactly what he needed ahead of Paris, where he hopes to defend his Olympic glory and get back his World Record title.
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Olympic champion, World Champion, Commonwealth Games gold medal winner, a world record – Zac Stubblety-Cook has done it all – but in a sport where every millisecond counts it doesn’t take much to go from being the hunted to the hunter.
While he would obviously have preferred to keep his name against the World Record for the 200m men’s breaststroke, having the record and his world title snatched from him by rising Chinese swim star Qin Haiyang was exactly what Stubblety-Cook needed to reignite his fire.
It has him in top form leading into the Olympic trial, being held in Brisbane this week. Stubblety-Cook will be in the pool on Friday for the 200m breaststroke – fighting for his spot on the Paris bound plane.
It is a big turn around for the 25-year-old who had been in a rut – struggling to find the motivation to keep going after he had achieved all his goals in the span of 12 short months.
It all started with his gold medal performance at Tokyo – by the same time the following year Stubblety-Cook had a World Title, Commonwealth Games medal and had become the first man to swim the 200m breaststroke in under 2.06 in the history of the sport.
“It was a wild 12 months,” Stubblety-Cook said.
“I was very lucky that I had some very good people around me. But it was a crazy 12 months.
“To be honest I haven’t probably reflected enough on it. Sport in general is a place where I don’t think we celebrate success enough sometimes.
“We don’t have the opportunity to take a breath and for me, I probably haven’t reflected on it enough to really be like that was a great job.
“That 12 months was incredible and testament to the team around me and all the hard work we’ve done. Everyone can talk about 12 months of success but there was definitely two, to three years before that of hard work.”
At the 2023 World Championships Stubblety-Cook wasn’t able to defend his title – touching the wall in second behind Haiyang – who finished first and set a new World Record of 2.05.48 in the process.
The Chinese swimmer led at every split and despite making the late charge he is known for Stubblety-Cook couldn’t catch him after the final turn.
Strangely Stubblety-Cook wasn’t too disappointed at losing his world record or failing to defend his title.
“I want it back and I want to be on top again,” he said.
“But at the same time I’m also like how cool is that. How good is that for a sport, I was part of that progression and showed people how to get 2.05 and then someone else has been like no you can go 2.05 low.
“For me it’s an exciting challenge to go on that pursuit and to try and get better and be faster.”
Stubblety-Cook said he found it easier to motivate himself as he had something to chase.
“I think I’ve become a much more mature athlete this year and have done a lot of reflecting on what I want out of the sport. In 21/22 I did everything I wanted to do so I had this weird question with what’s next? So that is part of the motivation as well going into Paris.
“Personally I think I’ve got more in me and there is more to come.”
THE FIGHT BACK
The back end – that is Stubblety-Cook’s strength – he is known for flying home after a solid start.
But knowing his top competitor is Haiyang, Stubblety-Cook said he and the team had gone back to the drawing board to find where they could grab any extra milliseconds in a bid to close the gap.
“We have to stick to our strengths, which is that back end, but we really had to reconsider what that front end looks like,” he said.
“Qin was swimming the 100m in 57 seconds, which I think only three other people in the world have done before. I know I’m probably not going to be able to swim it in 57 but the question is – how do I get to 58?
“So we have considered that when we structure the training.”
In the lead up to the Worlds Stubblety-Cook did a training camp with English breastroker Adam Peaty.
“It was really incredible,” he said.
“Hats off to him and how hard he works. It was great to go head to head with him, his strengths are my weaknesses and vice versa.
“It was great to get to know him on a bit more of a personal level – what motivates him, what drives him.
“Obviously he has been in a similar position being champion and world record holder.
“All that mindset was more important to me than the actual training and hearing from his coach.”
Stubblety-Cook has also put renewed focus on his mental health and wellbeing.
“I have taken this year seriously but it has been a big learning curve in maturity, and keeping me a lot more grounded,” he said.
“I didn’t have the success, I didn’t have the repeat success I wanted and I didn’t necessarily have the results I wanted this year.
“So for me that’s probably been the biggest reflection. I think I could have been more grounded in between those meets.”
MINDSET
There is only one gold medal up for grabs in men’s 200m breaststroke – one chance for Stubblety-Cook to defend his title.
And while he has gone back to the drawing board on his race tactics and is doing everything in the pool and gym to be in prime shape – the swimmer says his headspace could be what separates him from Haiyang in Paris.
“As much as people say we are doing different things in the pool, I think the likelihood is that 80 per cent of the work is all very similar,” he said.
“I think what separates the top from the top, the one per cent of the one per cent – what separates us is our mindset.
“For me personally I’ve learned a lot more about a balanced mindset and ensuring I’m doing what enriches me and has a purpose and fills my needs emotionally as well as physically what we do in the pool. It’s been a really big shift.”
For Stubblety-Cook balance means making time to enjoy his hobbies of photography and roasting coffee.
“I try scheduling every week to at least shoot some photos, definitely try to go out for a coffee or try a new roast.
“Those things become non-negotiable.
“I need to be doing these things to feel enriched. So for me when we travel one of the first things I do is look up coffee shops and work out what are some of the shops I’m going to try and go to.”
While it took Stubblety-Cook years to find the right balance he said it was something he had started to put more focus on when he was younger.
“Training is a non-negotiable,” he said. “You have to do it to be good at the sport but what you can do to make sure you feeling mentally fresh, to make sure your smiling – that does make a big different between spending 30 hours a week at the pool which is our level that’s what we are doing, so for me its about finding what you can do outside of the pool to feel happy.”
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Originally published as ‘I want it back’: Stubblety-Cook’s plan to defend his Olympic title and get his World Record back
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