Australia’s Celebrated Supercoach Michael Bohl To Take “Long Service Leave” After Paris Olympics.
Michael Bohl, one of Australia’s most celebrated coaches, will leave the pool deck for 12 months after guiding his athletes to this year’s Paris Olympics.
It is a deserved long service leave for not only one of the most successful Olympic coaches in Australian swimming’s history but also one of the most respected men in swimming, who has guided some of Australia’s best to the top of the world.
Olympic memory…Michael Bohl and Emma McKeon. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia)
The man who coached Stephanie Rice to 200 and 400IM gold in Beijing in 2008 and Emma McKeon to 50 and 100m freestyle gold in Tokyo 2020 is preparing McKeon and defending 100 and 200m backstroke gold medallist Kaylee McKeown and his Griffith University team for the Olympic Trials that begin in Brisbane on Monday (June 10).
Bohl took over McKeown post the Tokyo Games – steering her to six individual World Championships as the 22-year-old Queenslander continued to re-write the 50, 100 and 200m backstroke world records.
McKeon, Australia’s most successful Olympic athlete, has already declared that Paris will be her swansong from the sport at the age of 30 – a career which Bohl has steered since she and brother two-time Olympian David McKeon moved to Queensland from NSW.
“It is a decision that you don’t take lightly but it’s time to take a break from coaching for 12 months, to spend some time with my family, recharge the batteries,” Bohl told Swimming World.
“I’m talking to Swimming Australia about some projects and other roles, but we’ll wait and see where that lands.”
In an interview with News Corp, Bohl added: “I’ve been coaching 37 years and I’ve never had a break, so I just want to slow down and step away for a while.
“And then towards the end of the year (2025), I will just start to seriously question whether it is something I want to keep going on with?
Kaylee McKeown and coach Michael Bohl. Photo Courtesy Wade Brennan (Wade’s Photos)
“At the moment, I think after 12 months I might be right to go on again but, after 12 months, I might go, ‘Hey, I think I’m done’.”
The Australian Trials will run over six days between Monday June 10 and Saturday June 15 when the Australian team for Paris will be announced by the Australian Olympic Committee.
Selfishly I hope he’s happy with just the year off then recommits! Maybe make it a ‘cycle’. He coaches for three years upto and including Olympic years,then takes a year off to recharge then starts the cycle again.