Swim coach Dean one right out of the box

 

 

Swimming Australia: August 5, 2018: Livewire Australian swim coach Dean Boxall is one out of the box, a modern day Laurie Lawrence –eccentric, tough and uncompromising but for him the proof is in the pudding.

 

Like Lawrence, Boxall expects the absolute dedication of his athletes – the dedication that won his two premier athletes Jon Sieben (1984) and Duncan Armstrong (1988) Olympic gold.

 

Boxall has certainly taken a leaf – a golden one at that – from the Lawrence book as he masterminds his team for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

 

Boxall is in charge of Australia’s premier club, Brisbane’s St Peters Western and four of his charges – Mitch Larkin, Ariarne Titmus, Jack Cartwright and Clyde Lewis won 10 gold medals between them at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.

 

In six days time Boxall will again send his charges into battle against the might of the USA, Canada and Japan at the 2018 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships  in Tokyo, starting next Thursday, August 9.

 

Boxall is one of the team coaches on the Australian Dolphins Swim Team – and he has provided a rare insight into his “modus operandi” two years out from the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

 

Titmus is yet to announce her schedule but has entered the 100, 200, 400 and 800m freestyle as well as the4x200m freestyle relay.

 

When quizzed about the program which saw his super-charged 18-year-old schoolgirl win gold in the 400 and 800 and 4x200m freestyle and silver in the 200m at the Games, Boxall said he was still keeping his cards close to his chest.

“I’m not saying at the moment but what I will say is that it is a jam-packed four day program and you can’t do everything – something has got to give, “ said Boxall, who admitted he didn’t talk to Titmus about her main opponent, the world’s greatest female swimmer, America’s Katie Ledecky.

 

“I don’t necessarily mention Katie’s name but about the opposition and what she has to do if she’s going to get in an race them.

 

“All I want is to race them and we’ve got two years to prepare for the Olympics…this is another step..I want them all prepared,..all of my guys, I want them ready to race.

 

“And this is all practice, to familiarise them for 2020.”

Larkin will be up against the red-hot Americans in Ryan Murphy and Matt Grevers – two of the world’s best backstrokers and will also provide the mainstay in the 4x100m medley relay.

 

Cartwright, fourth in the World Championships last year in  the 100, will like his training partner Lewis contest the 100 and 200m freestyles and will also join Larkin in the 200IM – leaving the 400IM to another day.

 

Boxall said: “Hopefully my guys are going to be here in two years time..I need to see what happens at this meet so I can create what happens over the next two years.

 

“I’ve got to see how the race(s) unfolds and get the feedback from the guys..so I can create that winning mentality.

“I just want them to have that mentality that they can try and win..I’ve got to create something for two years.

 

“This is very, very important..this meet (the Pan Pacs)….for the next two years.”

Addressing his athletes..

 

“What are you going to do when you put yourself in the battle ?

“In the last 50 metres..this is the one you get to test your mettle, the one that we get to capitalise and you get a little bit of investment coming forth in the next two years.

 

“You get to annalise and shift and change that you can make and create for the next two years ..you want to test your mettle.”

 

THE Australian Dolphins leave for Tokyo next Monday...with the Pan Pacs running from August 9-12.