Inside With Brett Hawke Podcast Rattles the Railing With Aussie Dean Boxall, Coach of Ariarne Titmus
When the 2020 Olympic Games are remembered, several memories will immediately jump out. Some individuals will focus on the five gold medals won by Caeleb Dressel. Others will recount the seven medals collected by Australian Emma McKeon. Still more will reminisce about the world record of South African Tatjana Schoenmaker in the 200-meter breaststroke.
But there’s a moment outside of the pool that will also be well-remembered, and it is the wild celebration of Aussie coach Dean Boxall after his pupil, Ariarne Titmus, stormed to the gold medal and beat defending champion Katie Ledecky in the 400 freestyle. Following Titmus’ title-winning effort, Boxall went crazy, shaking a barrier, pumping his fists and screaming as a shell-shocked Japanese volunteer looked on. Simply, Titmus’ victory was deeply meaningful, the culmination of teamwork and effort between coach and student.
A little more than a month after the Games, Boxall joined the Inside With Brett Hawke Podcast and discussed a range of topics. Boxall and Hawke, a two-time Olympic whose eponymous podcast has attracted the biggest names in the sport, talked for more than two hours. It was a spectacular conversation that examined Boxall’s younger days, how he entered the coaching ranks, his work with Titmus and Elijah Winnington, national pride, his philosophies, the celebration and much more.
Of course, a major aspect of the interview between Hawke and Boxall was the rise of Titmus from challenger to champion. Boxall discusses the plan the duo crafted to catch Ledecky, who at one point was producing times that seemed out of reach. But Boxall believed Titmus was capable of such performances, and he ultimately guided her to Olympic titles in the 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle, and a silver medal in the 800 freestyle.
Boxall pays tribute to Ledecky during the chat, emphasizing how she changed the event and served as the benchmark for Titmus. He spoke how there is no such thing as a cheap gold medal, but to rise to the top of the podium by beating Ledecky made Titmus’ title even more special.
In the second half of the interview, the conversation covers the future of Mollie O’Callaghan, another of Boxall’s swimmers who has a huge upside and might give Titmus a push in the 200 freestyle in the coming years.
Here is the complete interview between Hawke and Boxall.