Olympic Partnerships: When Coach is More Than Just ‘Coach’

Photo Courtesy: Griffin Scott

Editorial Coverage Sponsored By FINIS

By Julia Cunningham, Swimming World College Intern

Bruce Gemmell has been Katie Ledecky’s coach for four years. In that amount of time, Ledecky has won 15 individual gold medals on the international stage, and Gemmell has become the coach of, in his words, “the most dominant female freestyler probably ever. Maybe the most dominant female swimmer over a four-year period, ever.”

For four years Gemmell pushed Ledecky through 10,000 plus yards a day, and worked to find ways to improve even her world-record setting races. It is the coach, after all, who swimmers rely on most to get them to where they want to be.

A huge part of that is goal setting. For Ledecky and Gemmell, those goals are a highly guarded secret, even from Ledecky’s parents. After the World Championships in 2013, Ledecky and Gemmell set three specific goals for Rio: to swim a 3:56 in the 400 meter freestyle, 8:05 in the 800, and to win the 200.

katie-ledecky-press-conference-rio-olympics

Photo Courtesy: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

In spectacular fashion, she hit the wall in 8:04.79 in the 800 at the Olympics to achieve her last goal. When she went to embrace her coach, the usually collected athlete broke down into tears. Not only had everything the two of them worked for come to fruition, her partnership with Gemmell had come to an end, or at least a pause.

The bond between coach and swimmer goes beyond just the training. When there is that level of trust between two people: trust that your swimmer is willing to do anything to reach their goals and trust that your coach is going to help you achieve those goals: “coach” becomes synonymous with “advisor,” “friend,” “family,” “mentor.”

“Maybe I would be more guarded with her,” Gemmell said of his tearful exchange with Ledecky that Friday night, “if I could go to work tomorrow morning with her.”

The mutuality of the swimmer-coach relationship was apparent across the pool deck in Rio this year. On the opposite side of the scale lies Shane Tusup, Katinka Hosszu’s coach, another pair that spectators couldn’t keep their eyes off of. Tusup’s enthusiasm throughout Hosszu’s races wasn’t the only interesting thing about him, however. The fact that he was Hosszu’s husband was also headline news.

katinka-hosszu-husband-mesa-2016-prelims-az

Photo Courtesy: Kara Sekenski

The couple complete each other both as husband and wife, and as swimmer and coach. “It’s crazy to think I still need Shane telling me: ‘Yes, you are great. Yes, you can do that,’” Hosszu said in an interview with the New York Times.

In Hungary, Dorina Szekeres, who swam for Hungary in London, explained,“We have the drive, but we didn’t have the confidence.” American-born Tusup brings that out in Hosszu, who has “a herculean work ethic but no grandiose goals.”

“Since I started working with Shane, I have a lot more confidence,” Hosszu said.

That level of understanding and communication isn’t only true for Hosszu and Tusup. Not only did Gemmell push Ledeky to become a champion, she also helped Gemmell understand more about the sport of swimming. “She’s certainly made me expand what I thought was possible,” Gemmell said. “And my challenge was to figure out what she needed to do to get there.”

michael-phelps-bob-bowman-press-conference-before-rio-olympics

Photo Courtesy: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

When Michael Phelps was 13 years old, Bob Bowman was beginning to figure out how he was going to turn the swimmer into an Olympian. Nearly two decades later, Phelps is the most decorated athlete in Olympic history, and Bowman has practically become a part of the family. His name appears in Phelps’ son’s middle name: Boomer Robert Phelps.

“No doubt about it,” Bowman said in an interview of not just his own success, but the success and recognition he’s been able to have because of Phelps. “I mean, it’s a true partnership in every meaning of that word. And I’m incredibly appreciative of the opportunities that Michael has given me, because he has opened doors that never would have been there.”

There is no doubt that the swimmer-coach relationship is an important one. But it is not just the fact that it is a two-way street that makes it so. It is the fact that, in your coach, you can find your lifelong friend, your greatest fan, and in many different forms of the word, maybe even your soulmate.

Name*

Email*

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use