Commonwealth Games swimmers warned about using social media

SWIM team bosses have decided against a social media blackout on Australia’s pool stars and have instead crossed their fingers that a wise-use advisory will be enough.

SWIM team bosses have decided against a social media blackout on Australia’s pool stars and have instead crossed their fingers that a wise-use advisory will be enough.

A ban may have been extreme on a 70-strong band of athletes wanting to share their Commonwealth Games experiences, yet letting in the world comes with dangers.

Champion backstroker Emily Seebohm was devastated at the 2012 Olympics when confessing her infatuation with social media dulled her mental edge for a gold medal duel she lost by a touch.

Emily Seebohm says using social media dulled her mental edge for gold at the 2012 Olympics. Picture: Adam Head

Seebohm saying “I didn’t get into my own mind (zone)” after staying on social media too long on the day of her pet race should be reprinted in warning signs around the athletes’ village on the Gold Coast.

A wiser Seebohm now has stricter personal rules on when to shut down her connection with her 66,000-plus followers on Instagram and Twitter.

Australia head coach Jacco Verhaeren may yet rue his flexible approach – “use it with wisdom” – to swimmers using social media while in competition mode.

Cate Campbell will press “off” on her phone to remove any anxiety spiked by random messages, even “Go Girl” wishes, after what she experienced at the 2016 Olympics.

In the aftermath of her brave dissection of her 100m freestyle final fizzer in Rio, she said a simple good luck text had partly triggered her anxiety on the blocks.

“I’m so excited to watch you race I’ve booked out a boardroom so we can all watch you,” read the text message that amplified the expectations she was carrying. The freestyle sprint queen has more than 53,000 Instagram followers and will likely keep her interactions limited to fun photos like that of her lolling around the village yesterday.

Medal machine Emma McKeon has decided to pass up the one-off thrill of marching at the opening ceremony on Wednesday to limit another potentially energy-sapping distraction.

Originally published as Commonwealth Games swimmers warned about using social media