Tokyo Olympics 2021: Australia’s head swim coach defends team culture in wake of coach reaction

While there can often be a fine line between celebration and going to far, Australia’s head swim coach insists they haven’t crossed it, despite the odd swear word and a certain coach’s exuberance.

Swearing live on national television, not once, but twice, and a team coach going berserk in the stands. Is the Australian swim team unconsciously immersed in a hyper-aggressive, blokey, albeit successful, culture?

Not so, says the head coach Rohan Taylor when asked this very question by News Corp.

There aren’t any female coaches on the team, ostensibly because female coaches don’t have any swimmers here in Tokyo. Leigh Nugent doesn’t have any swimmers either, but is here in an over-arching capacity, despite overseeing the team when there were previous misconduct allegations during the London Olympics.

Dean Boxall was a little more subdued on Wednesday when Ariarne Titmus won gold.

Taylor says he is happy for Ariarne Titmus’ coach Dean Boxall to celebrate and “none of us with the team are surprised, we all celebrate in our own life’’. As for the swearing on television, he said Kaylee McKeown slipped up on air “and that’s a young kid whose just made a dream come true and she should be afforded that slip up.’’

Taylor is unsure of what the image is of the team he heads. But he said he has a group of “authentic’’ people sharing their emotions.

“That’s great, he said, adding “we encourage authenticity, but I am not encouraging foul language on TV.’’

On Wednesday, Boxall asked Taylor if he could watch the second gold medal swim of Titmus somewhere away from the pool deck and the cameras, but Taylor told him “they (the cameras) will find you wherever you go, don’t worry about it.’’

The Australian swim team has several female staff members: a team manager, a massage therapist, a communications manager and head of performance. Mollie O’Callaghan, a relay swimmer, is the youngest team member aged 17.

His comments come on the back of world swimming officials continuing to turn a blind eye to Boxall’s exuberant celebrations, although on the Boxall-metre, Wednesday’s effort rated on the Volcanic Explosivity Index, only ratcheted to a paroxysmic eruption, as opposed to his mega-colossal internet-breaking actions earlier in the week.

This time Boxall paced and grabbed the rails and fist pumped and yelled, but seemed to be in some sort of control as opposed to his wild behaviour on Monday.

There have been some concerns around the pool deck about Boxall’s pelvic thrusting antics - especially as he is the coach of young teenagers.

Boxall congratulates teary Ariarne Titmus after her second gold medal.

Among Olympic organisers trying to keep the Japanese government appeased that all of its participants are following social guidelines, there was also disquiet that some of his celebrations have been while mask-less.

But Fina executive Dale Neuburger said: “Given the fact that there are there are normally 17,000 spectators here to cause the kind of excitement in the Olympic Games, it’s hard to fault a coach who’s excited about the performance of one of his athletes.’

“I would just say that a coach who’s worked with an athlete for years and put in all the hours of preparation and everything else, I think there is a full understanding that there’s a joy that’s hard to describe.”

HOW HE WENT VIRAL

Ariarne Titmus’s excitable coach Dean Boxall admits to “having lost it’’ during his wild celebrations in the stands at the Tokyo Aquatic Centre on Monday — a moment that has gone viral and become a meme for the Olympic Games.

Boxall says Titmus, his new Olympic champion athlete, has now told him “you need to settle down”.

The dramatic antics of the Queensland coach, who trains at the St Peters Western club and has six swimmers on the Olympic team, was, he said, a bizarre result of “me going outside of my body’’.

“I think I was more emotional than her,’’ he said, crying in the stands as Titmus received her gold medal.

It just came out. I’d built it up in trials, I just... you know, it was coming through, the race unfolding, and then when I saw, you know, I couldn’t keep it in.

Boxall was filmed stalking up and down the rear of the aquatic stands, going berserk and then shuddering the glass barrier in front of him with some pelvic thrusts; all the while with a Japanese volunteer trying to control the beast.

Aussie swim starlet Ariarne Titmus has told coach Dean Boxall to calm his farm.

Boxall’s elation was understood by those that know Titmus best.

“It has been an incredible journey for us all, said Titmus’ father Steve after the race.

“There is such a great relationship between Dean Boxall and Ariarne. That is what emotion is all about.

“The past five years have been incredible. But the past two years in particular, every day of training has been worked out to get to the point of where we got to today — yesterday. That is why it is emotional.”

Titmus had turned at the 350m of the 400m freestyle slightly ahead of the legendary US swimmer Katie Ledecky, following the game plan that Boxall had mapped out, and she then pulled ahead in the final strokes to win the gold.

“Katie was so far in front of us that in the beginning when I started to coach her we couldn’t have that conversation.

“Arnie (Titmus) came to me when she was a 4min12 swimmer, and then at that stage Katie was a 3min56, so that’s a 16 second difference. We just started chipping away and then we started to believe’’.

Boxall said Titmus had matured – “she’s not this little girl that came to me when she was 15” and that’s why she has blossomed. He believed if the Games had been held 12 months ago, the result may have been different.

Boxall said he hasn’t faced any consequences of his wild mask-less celebrations — at a time when Olympic officials have threatened participants with extreme punishment, including deportation, for breaching coronavirus countermeasures.

He said some people might not have liked his celebrations, “I don’t know, the Americans might not like it, but they jump around as much as me, you know I can’t help it.’’

Boxall added: “I believe with my athletes, it’s very simple when they leave the pool deck with me, when they leave to start the recovery process and go home and they switch off, I don’t.

“I go home and try and find a way for them to get better.

Dean Boxall admits his emotions got the better of him on the day. Picture: Davis Ramos/Getty Images

“I just don’t turn off and that’s probably why I let it out, that’s why I got emotional, because it’s not just a nine to five job, its 24-7 and I wake up at night and I’m thinking how can I get better, how can Ariane get better, how can Elijah get better. I am hurting for Elijah, and we will find a way for him.’’

Boxall coaches Titmus, Elijah Winnington, Mitch Larkin, Meg Harris, Mollie O’Callaghan and Abbey Harkin on the Australian team. All have been on fire at these Games, except for Winnington.

Boxall said Winnington, who was well below his best in the 400m freestyle and failed to get beyond the heats in the 200m freestyle had simply got “a little bit tense’’ because he “just really, really wanted it”. Boxall predicted that, as brutal as the Olympics have been for Winnington, who came in as a pre race favourite, he will bounce back.

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You wouldn’t know it from his wild celebrations when Ariarne Titmus won gold in the 400m freestyle, but coach Dean Boxall has never been calmer in his life.

As Titmus edged her way in front of Katie Ledecky, Boxall went absolutely bonkers in the stand, tearing off his mask, scaring a Japanese attendant, and testing the strength of a stadium barrier.

If he had his way, Boxall would be running up and down the pool deck, yelling support at the top of his lungs, but he’s had to cut down on the theatrics.

Instead he satisfied himself with his performance in the stands — and then followed it up with tears during the medal ceremony.

Ariarne Titmus embraces her coach Dean Boxall. Picture: Adam Head

Ariarne said she tried to contain her emotions as she listened to the national anthem.

“But I looked over and saw Dean bawling his eyes out,” she said.

Even though his best swimmers all love his enthusiasm and the passion he brings to the sport, Boxall also knows not everyone likes his eccentric ways.

And at a time when coaches are increasing scrutiny, he’s had to mellow.

That’s the theory at least because Boxall’s weakness is that he just can’t help himself because he’s so devoted to his swimmers and their dreams.

“To be part of the Australian swimming team. For me, it’s the greatest honour,” he said.

“Working with a bunch of resilient athletes striving to do their best, how can you not be excited by that?”

Boxall celebrates Ariarne Titmus’s victory.

Boxall channels the Ultimate Warrior.

Boxall has quickly become one of the biggest social media hits of the Tokyo Olympics because of his unbridled support for his swimmers.

A throwback to legendary Aussie coach Laurie Lawrence, he just can’t keep still or hide his emotions, no matter how hard he tries, willing them on and punching the air when they reach the wall.

The irony is that he was mentored by master coach Michael Bohl, one of the coolest and calmest coaches on the pool deck, but their personalities could not be any different.

“Bohly has been like a father and a brother and a friend to me, but we are not the same,” Boxall said.

“He’s very calm and relaxed and keeps an even keel. He’s a bit like Wayne Bennett whereas I’m probably a bit more like Craig Bellamy or Justin Langer. I get very emotional.

“From a professional development point of view, I’d love to spend some time with those guys, just watching how they go about managing their players and preparing them for games.

“I find them so interesting to watch when they’re in the box — one minute they’re blowing off steam, then the next they’re sitting down and cheering, and I think I express myself the same way.”

Dean Boxall reacts as Ariarne Titmus wins gold.

Younger than most of his colleagues, and with longer hair, Boxall stands out from most of the national team coaches in more ways than one.

He didn’t study coaching or learn his trade from manuals, his coaching style is based on gut instinct and hard training.

He makes no apology for pushing his swimmers hard, but the results are spectacular.

Six swimmers from his St Peters Western club in Brisbane made the Australian Olympic team for Tokyo: Ariarne Titmus, Elijah Winnington, Mitch Larkin, Meg Harris, Mollie O’Callaghan and Abbey Harkin.

Two of them have won gold medals within the first three days of competition, which explains why he’s been celebrating so much and been thrust into the international spotlight.

All of his elite swimmers will tell you they went to Boxall because they believed he could help them win the ultimate prize in the sport.

Titmus moved from Tasmania to Queensland with her family when she was in her early teens so she could train with Boxall.

Larkin moved to Boxall in 2017 after spending nine years with Bohl and seven months with Simon Cusack, who coaches Cate and Bronte Campbell.

“He’s a character,” Larkin said. “His personality is very different to mine. I’m pretty reserved.

“There’s a lot of different ways of showing emotion and how proud you are and Dean’s obviously quite expressive. For me, at this point in my career, I think it’s really important because his energy certainly lifts me up.”

While Boxall has a reputation as a master motivator, his most effective tool is the one that rarely gets any attention, knowing when to back off and keep quiet.

“I can be quite intense with the athletes so I’ve learnt that I’ve got to give them space as well,” he said.

“The thing to remember is that in that 30 minute window after I go to the marshalling area and say goodbye, they’re on their own after that and these guys don’t need too much of me.”

How the world reacted to viral coach moment

Ariarne Titmus won an Olympic gold medal but her coach may have stolen her thunder after footage of him celebrating the win went viral.

As Titmus touched to claim gold and beat Ledecky in a fierce contest the world has been anticipating for years, Titmus’s coach Dean Boxall celebrated in hilarious fashion.

Vision of him headbanging and cheering was broadcast around the world with NBC commentators saying: “I mean he is going crazy. Oh my goodness. He’s like putting on a show like Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones or something.”

When the Australian champion was told about his celebration after her incredible feat, she said: “He means everything to me. Coming into this race we knew what we had to do,” she said.

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Live look at Australian swim coach Dean Boxall pic.twitter.com/KNf1Frl88I

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“We didn’t discuss what I wanted to do in the pool. It was more of a have fun moment. I love you. Have fun. We practised this for so long. I just knew what I had to do when I got out there.”

After the medal presentation, Titmus said Boxall’s emotion as he watched on was making it difficult for her to keep her composure.

“It was actually hard to contain (the emotion),” she said.

“I could see Dean on the other side bawling his eyes out. You don’t see that that often so that made me want to tear up. I tried to contain it. I have a busy night tonight with the 200, so I can enjoy all of this at the end.

Originally published as Tokyo Olympics 2021: Australia’s head swim coach defends team culture in wake of coach reaction