Commonwealth Games hold a special place in Georgia Bohl’s heart

THREE training partners, injury battles and creating a piece of family history have helped spur Georgia Bohl’s Commonwealth Games dream.

GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA — MARCH 01: Georgia Bohl gives a smile after winning the final of the Women's 100m Breaststroke event during the 2018 Australia Swimming National Trials at the Optus Aquatic Centre on March 1, 2018 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

THREE training partners, injury battles and creating a piece of family history have helped spur Georgia Bohl’s Commonwealth Games dream.

Bohl was forced to watch last year’s world championships from afar after a knee injury prevented her from making the team for Budapest.

But watching the action from the other side of the world a year after what she believed was a disappointing Olympic debut, only fired the 20-year-old’s momentum to compete in a home Games.

As a southeast Queenslander, the Gold Coast Games were always going to be important to Bohl.

But with coach and father Michael having competed in Brisbane in 1982, and his squad moving to the Gold Coast to set up camp at Griffith University last year, this year’s Games hold a special place in her heart.

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“It’s pretty amazing because I feel special that he was competing at the Commonwealth Games in Australia as well,” said Bohl, who sealed her place on the team by winning the 100m breaststroke on Thursday night.

“It makes me feel quite good to be able to share the experience with dad.

“It’s nice to be able to be on the team with him as well but it’s always nice to know that he was at the Commonwealth Games as well.

“It just makes me feel quite comfortable and at ease with everything.”

Bohl was far from at ease coming into this week’s trials though after a knee injury last year that kept her out of the pool for several months and threatened to wreck her Commonwealth Games dreams.

“I was pretty concerned because I had the injury for about seven months,” said of a patella issue that needed significant rehabilitation.

“It (wasn’t) my best time (on Thursday) but considering what’s happened over the last year, I’m really happy with it.

“Really, since Rio, I’ve had an injury and a few health issues, so I’ve just come back slowly and I’m really happy with my progress.”

Georgia Bohl in action during the Final of the women's 200 metre Breaststroke of the 2018 Australian Swimming Trials.

Part of her successful return can be tracked to working training partners Ashton Baumann, Heath McLeod and Jaekwon Moon since arriving at Griffith.

“I have three male breaststroke training partners, so that’s a really good thing to push me on every day,” Bohl said.

“I’ve never really had breaststroke training partners and down here I’ve got three boys and they all push me along, which is really good.

“It’s hard training on your own.

“Dad has got a lot of swimmers from fly, backstroke and freestyle but not really many breaststrokers, so it’s good to have some people to race.”

Bohl made her major Games debut at the Olympics in Rio — a meet she said put everything into perspective despite what she considered a lacklustre debut.

“I haven’t been in the sport internationally for that long so the Olympics was my first really big meet and I didn’t go as well as I wanted to,” she said.

“But it put everything into perspective.

“I think when you fail it helps you be able to step back and realise what you want from the sport.

“I think missing out on worlds, I chose to come back and work harder, not walk away and let it define me.”

Originally published as Commonwealth Games hold a special place in Georgia Bohl’s heart