World Championships: How The Dean Of St Peters Unlocked Australia’s Treasure Trove Of Gold In Fukuoka
Australia’s triple Olympic and world beating freestyler Ariarne Titmus has provided an emotion charged tribute to her coach Dean Boxall after the Dolphins delivered another record-breaking night in Fukuoka’s Marine Messe Pool last night.
Medals around their necks after their world record breaking feats in the 4x200m freestyle relay, Titmus and her teammates – all from Queensland’s powerhouse St Peters Western Club in Brisbane paid homage to her coach.
GOLDEN GUARD: Australian coaches with Dean Boxall with Shayna Jack (far left) form a guard of honour for Australia’s all-conquering 4x200m freestyle relay girls. Photo Courtesy: Wade Brennan Photography
Standing alongside her in the Media Mixed Zone were Shayna Jack, Brianna Throssell and Mollie O’Callaghan – all proud members of Australia’s all-conquering women’s team and all proud members of Boxall’s SPW team.
Asked about how Dean manages to coach a group of girls to race against each other and then bring them altogether for arguably one of the greatest relay performances in the history of the sport, Titmus gave a stunning analogy.
“I think the best way to describe it is that each athlete is a door and Dean has a bunch of keys…and he finds the key that unlocks each door,” revealed Titmus, who left Tasmania with her family when she was 16 to seek swimming fame in Queensland’s gold medal factory.
“And every lock is different, and I feel like he found my key very quickly and he finds everyone else’s keys to get the best out of them.
“I just feel very passionately about thanking our coach and most of us have a very close relationship with him as my coach, he’s my friend, as a male figure in my life and I’ll be forever grateful to him for this.
“And this would not be possible without him, and I think that is why I owe it to him…that’s why I get emotional talking about him…”
Titmus could not continue as the tears flowed, getting immediate support from her trio of training partners – lumps in the throats of seasoned international sports writers some who thought they had seen it all.
Until the Dean of St Peters unleashed his 2023 brand of girl power on the world.
The other girls then chimed in with their own take on Dean Boxall’s masterly ways, that have seen Australia scoop the pool over the first five days of this extraordinary meet – that could well see them become the greatest Australian Swim Team in the country’s proud swimming history.
Boxall’s 10-strong group on the Australian team has seen:
Gold to Titmus in a world record time in the 400m freestyle
PURE EMOTION: Dean Boxall and Australian head coach Rohan Taylor. Photo Courtesy: Wade Brennan Photography.
Gold and silver to O’Callaghan and Titmus in world record time to O’Callaghan
Jack and O’Callaghan in both the 4×100 and 4x200m freestyle relays in world record time
Jack producing three all-time Top Ten relay splits in the 100 relays.
Brave heart Jack Cartwright and “the kid” Kai Taylor (son the legendary Hayley Lewis) coming back into the men’s gold medal winning 4x100m freestyle.
The Dolphins have won nine gold and over the next three days will surpass their efforts of 2001 when Don Talbot led the team to the top of the world – history beckons.
Jack revealed how special the relay was to her, the relay that Australia won in Gwangju in 2019 and the relay she would have been in until she was confronted with her worst nightmare and the positive doping test that saw her face a two-year battle to clear her name – and it was Dean Boxall who stood by her every step of the way.
“I have set myself up well this week; I have come in with a complete clear head to enjoy myself and have the best time,” said Jack.
“it was disappointing at Trials not to get the 100 individual spot and I wanted to come into this with a bit of fire in my belly, to have the best crack and see what I was capable of in that 100.
“Whether that be relays or lead off in relays and that’s exactly what I’ve done and (it means so much) to be part of this race tonight (because) back in 2019 I was actually to be part of that relay as well, and unfortunately that got stripped from me.
DEAN’S GIRLS: Super coach Dean Boxall greets his world beaters Ariarne Titmus and Mollie O’Callaghan after their 1-2 in the 200m freestyle. Photo Courtesy: Wade Brennnan Photography
“So, to be standing here today with these girls and have my first experience in the 4 x200m and to break the world record is something I won’t be able to process until after the meet to be honest.
“And as Arnie said we owe it to our coach, Dean, he’s the person who gets us going every day and the person who lifts us up and we did this for him tonight.
“He’s our family, he’s someone we aspire to, to make proud and I think we have done that tonight and I wouldn’t be surprised if he sheds a bit if a tear (himself), we’re his girls and we are there to represent him and the club and we’ve done a great job.”
Jack went on to reveal how Boxall set up the day.
“I think one thing that Dean said is the last time Australia won the medal tally was in 2001 in Fukuoka and he said to us tonight do you want to be part of history?
“And that’s exactly what we did tonight we put our (best) foot forward and we got our gold medal and that counts towards that amazing medal tally and hopefully we can carry it forward for the rest of the week and make history,” said Jack.
Throssell, who swam into the finals team from the prelims, left WA post the Tokyo Olympics to follow her own coach Mick Palfrey (himself a graduate coach from St Peters) to the Queensland Sunshine Coast, but she soon made the move to Boxall’s super group.
“Dean got us pretty excited before the race this morning and it was just about getting the girls up and about and getting a good lane for tonight,” said Throssell.
“I was able to get myself into a finals swim and to have four St Peters Western girls through to the final is something pretty exciting and I think all of us just wanted to come together tonight and do it for Dean and do it for SPW.”
O’Callaghan, at 19, the baby of the group said having so much depth in Australia has even pushed the group even further.
“I think it’s this human environment around us from who supports us from Dean to the support network and our teammates.
ARISE THE GOLDEN GIRLS: Shayna Jack, Brianna Throssell and Mollie O’s heart felt reception for Ariarne Titmu.s Photo Courtesy: Wade Brennan Photography]
“I think having that around us really helps us to thrive in this environment; we are on fire!
“It’s just amazing to think everyone has their own individual events but they are there to support each other at the end of the day no matter how bad we race or how good we race.
“We are always there for each other, and I think that’s why we are lifting so much because there’s that support and understanding of what we are going through and each day gets better and better and no matter what I think we are very proud of ourselves, everyone around us…and specially our coach.”
Boxall and the Australian coaching staff led by head coach Rohan Taylor and Coaching mentor, former Head Coach Leigh Nugent, formed a guard of honour to greet the team after the momentous efforts in the pool.
And as swimmers from around the world completed their swim downs and coaches and support staff filed past venue staff mopping up, one lone figure, coach Dean Boxall, sat in the front of the grandstand.
Australian photographer Wade Brennan was there to capture the moving moments that will go down in the annals of a country with such a proud swimming history.
The Dean of St Peters having a quiet moment, contemplating, and reflecting on what has become a sacred temple for his group of golden girls……their golden pond.
With Dean Boxall, alone in a world of his own….
IN A WORLD OF HIS OWN: Master coach Dean Boxall the last the leave. Photo Courtesy: Wade Brennan Photography