Latest news with #Stubblety-Cook
The Advertiser
19 hours ago
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Aussie swimmers try to surface from post-Olympic blues
An unsettled Kaylee McKeown went from a "dark place" mentally to no place of her own. She's living in holiday rentals. Fellow golden girl Mollie O'Callaghan was in a "hole". She's still trying to dig herself out. Struggling Shayna Jack went to the jungle "to find myself". She got home, lost her beloved dog, and isn't over the mental toll. Zac Stubblety-Cook went from Paris and more Olympic glory to questioning if he wanted to keep swimming. "The post-Olympic blues is always something to be mindful of," Stubblety-Cook said in Adelaide at Australia's swim trials for next month's world titles. "I think people underestimate what it is. "We had such a successful Games, especially our female team. "To come off the back of that, of course you're going to feel a bit alone. I think that's just normal." Stubblety-Cook, an Olympic gold and silver medallist, is among a chorus of swimmers in Adelaide detailing the mental lows that followed their highs. And the Dolphins' leadership group member said there was a positive among the negatives. "Everyone is a human and it's nice to see a bit of the human side of the sport," he said. Dolphins teammate Lani Pallister said the human factor was often overlooked, compounding post-Olympic problems. "This is going to sound really brutal but I think sometimes people forget athletes are also people," Pallister said. "There's so much expectation put on Australian swimmers ... we're expected to win multiple gold medals. "And sometimes if you don't race at your best, it's almost the public that bring you down." Even those that race at their best were impacted. McKeown, the only Australian to win four individual Olympic gold medals, took four months off after Paris. "I was in a really dark place mentally," she said. "When you go from such a high, straight back to such a low, and you're left scrambling for ideas on what you're going to do next, it is hard to find your feet once again." After her break, and with her coach Michael Bohl retired, she changed swim clubs and moved to Queensland's Gold Coast from the Sunshine Coast. "I spent four months in a group where I wasn't finding myself really happy," McKeown said. "I made the quick decision a week before nationals (in April) and moved back to Sunny Coast. "I still haven't got a house to live. I'm in Airbnb's. "It has been a really hard transition; just the things that people don't really see when you come and race." O'Callaghan was the nation's most successful athlete in Paris, collecting three golds plus a silver and bronze. Post-Olympics, she took five months, trying to find her identity outside of the pool. The 21-year-old admitted she was still searching but was pragmatic about her problems. "You have to always step in that dark place to get the best out of yourself," O'Callaghan said. "That's what sport is about. It's putting yourself in that hole to see how mentally strong you are - and I've definitely done that this season." Her teammate Jack won two golds in Paris at her first Olympics - she missed the Tokyo Games, having just served a two-year doping ban. Jack, who was cleared of intentional doping, had a European Great Dane named Hugo - he was the sole reason she got out of bed many days while suspended. After Paris, Jack went on the television show I'm A Celebrity ...Get Me Out Of Here. Soon after returning home, she lost Hugo to cancer. "I went to the jungle to try and find myself ... but when I got home and finding out that I was losing my dog, it was a huge mental toll," she said. "He got me through everything to come back in the first place. "I had two weeks with him; there was regret just around whether or not I did everything for him. "I felt a lot of that guilt. Did I do right by him, by choosing my swimming a lot of the time, and choosing my career over my dog?" Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 An unsettled Kaylee McKeown went from a "dark place" mentally to no place of her own. She's living in holiday rentals. Fellow golden girl Mollie O'Callaghan was in a "hole". She's still trying to dig herself out. Struggling Shayna Jack went to the jungle "to find myself". She got home, lost her beloved dog, and isn't over the mental toll. Zac Stubblety-Cook went from Paris and more Olympic glory to questioning if he wanted to keep swimming. "The post-Olympic blues is always something to be mindful of," Stubblety-Cook said in Adelaide at Australia's swim trials for next month's world titles. "I think people underestimate what it is. "We had such a successful Games, especially our female team. "To come off the back of that, of course you're going to feel a bit alone. I think that's just normal." Stubblety-Cook, an Olympic gold and silver medallist, is among a chorus of swimmers in Adelaide detailing the mental lows that followed their highs. And the Dolphins' leadership group member said there was a positive among the negatives. "Everyone is a human and it's nice to see a bit of the human side of the sport," he said. Dolphins teammate Lani Pallister said the human factor was often overlooked, compounding post-Olympic problems. "This is going to sound really brutal but I think sometimes people forget athletes are also people," Pallister said. "There's so much expectation put on Australian swimmers ... we're expected to win multiple gold medals. "And sometimes if you don't race at your best, it's almost the public that bring you down." Even those that race at their best were impacted. McKeown, the only Australian to win four individual Olympic gold medals, took four months off after Paris. "I was in a really dark place mentally," she said. "When you go from such a high, straight back to such a low, and you're left scrambling for ideas on what you're going to do next, it is hard to find your feet once again." After her break, and with her coach Michael Bohl retired, she changed swim clubs and moved to Queensland's Gold Coast from the Sunshine Coast. "I spent four months in a group where I wasn't finding myself really happy," McKeown said. "I made the quick decision a week before nationals (in April) and moved back to Sunny Coast. "I still haven't got a house to live. I'm in Airbnb's. "It has been a really hard transition; just the things that people don't really see when you come and race." O'Callaghan was the nation's most successful athlete in Paris, collecting three golds plus a silver and bronze. Post-Olympics, she took five months, trying to find her identity outside of the pool. The 21-year-old admitted she was still searching but was pragmatic about her problems. "You have to always step in that dark place to get the best out of yourself," O'Callaghan said. "That's what sport is about. It's putting yourself in that hole to see how mentally strong you are - and I've definitely done that this season." Her teammate Jack won two golds in Paris at her first Olympics - she missed the Tokyo Games, having just served a two-year doping ban. Jack, who was cleared of intentional doping, had a European Great Dane named Hugo - he was the sole reason she got out of bed many days while suspended. After Paris, Jack went on the television show I'm A Celebrity ...Get Me Out Of Here. Soon after returning home, she lost Hugo to cancer. "I went to the jungle to try and find myself ... but when I got home and finding out that I was losing my dog, it was a huge mental toll," she said. "He got me through everything to come back in the first place. "I had two weeks with him; there was regret just around whether or not I did everything for him. "I felt a lot of that guilt. Did I do right by him, by choosing my swimming a lot of the time, and choosing my career over my dog?" Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 An unsettled Kaylee McKeown went from a "dark place" mentally to no place of her own. She's living in holiday rentals. Fellow golden girl Mollie O'Callaghan was in a "hole". She's still trying to dig herself out. Struggling Shayna Jack went to the jungle "to find myself". She got home, lost her beloved dog, and isn't over the mental toll. Zac Stubblety-Cook went from Paris and more Olympic glory to questioning if he wanted to keep swimming. "The post-Olympic blues is always something to be mindful of," Stubblety-Cook said in Adelaide at Australia's swim trials for next month's world titles. "I think people underestimate what it is. "We had such a successful Games, especially our female team. "To come off the back of that, of course you're going to feel a bit alone. I think that's just normal." Stubblety-Cook, an Olympic gold and silver medallist, is among a chorus of swimmers in Adelaide detailing the mental lows that followed their highs. And the Dolphins' leadership group member said there was a positive among the negatives. "Everyone is a human and it's nice to see a bit of the human side of the sport," he said. Dolphins teammate Lani Pallister said the human factor was often overlooked, compounding post-Olympic problems. "This is going to sound really brutal but I think sometimes people forget athletes are also people," Pallister said. "There's so much expectation put on Australian swimmers ... we're expected to win multiple gold medals. "And sometimes if you don't race at your best, it's almost the public that bring you down." Even those that race at their best were impacted. McKeown, the only Australian to win four individual Olympic gold medals, took four months off after Paris. "I was in a really dark place mentally," she said. "When you go from such a high, straight back to such a low, and you're left scrambling for ideas on what you're going to do next, it is hard to find your feet once again." After her break, and with her coach Michael Bohl retired, she changed swim clubs and moved to Queensland's Gold Coast from the Sunshine Coast. "I spent four months in a group where I wasn't finding myself really happy," McKeown said. "I made the quick decision a week before nationals (in April) and moved back to Sunny Coast. "I still haven't got a house to live. I'm in Airbnb's. "It has been a really hard transition; just the things that people don't really see when you come and race." O'Callaghan was the nation's most successful athlete in Paris, collecting three golds plus a silver and bronze. Post-Olympics, she took five months, trying to find her identity outside of the pool. The 21-year-old admitted she was still searching but was pragmatic about her problems. "You have to always step in that dark place to get the best out of yourself," O'Callaghan said. "That's what sport is about. It's putting yourself in that hole to see how mentally strong you are - and I've definitely done that this season." Her teammate Jack won two golds in Paris at her first Olympics - she missed the Tokyo Games, having just served a two-year doping ban. Jack, who was cleared of intentional doping, had a European Great Dane named Hugo - he was the sole reason she got out of bed many days while suspended. After Paris, Jack went on the television show I'm A Celebrity ...Get Me Out Of Here. Soon after returning home, she lost Hugo to cancer. "I went to the jungle to try and find myself ... but when I got home and finding out that I was losing my dog, it was a huge mental toll," she said. "He got me through everything to come back in the first place. "I had two weeks with him; there was regret just around whether or not I did everything for him. "I felt a lot of that guilt. Did I do right by him, by choosing my swimming a lot of the time, and choosing my career over my dog?" Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636
Perth Now
a day ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
Aussie swimmers try to surface from post-Olympic blues
An unsettled Kaylee McKeown went from a "dark place" mentally to no place of her own. She's living in holiday rentals. Fellow golden girl Mollie O'Callaghan was in a "hole". She's still trying to dig herself out. Struggling Shayna Jack went to the jungle "to find myself". She got home, lost her beloved dog, and isn't over the mental toll. Zac Stubblety-Cook went from Paris and more Olympic glory to questioning if he wanted to keep swimming. "The post-Olympic blues is always something to be mindful of," Stubblety-Cook said in Adelaide at Australia's swim trials for next month's world titles. "I think people underestimate what it is. "We had such a successful Games, especially our female team. "To come off the back of that, of course you're going to feel a bit alone. I think that's just normal." Stubblety-Cook, an Olympic gold and silver medallist, is among a chorus of swimmers in Adelaide detailing the mental lows that followed their highs. And the Dolphins' leadership group member said there was a positive among the negatives. "Everyone is a human and it's nice to see a bit of the human side of the sport," he said. Dolphins teammate Lani Pallister said the human factor was often overlooked, compounding post-Olympic problems. "This is going to sound really brutal but I think sometimes people forget athletes are also people," Pallister said. "There's so much expectation put on Australian swimmers ... we're expected to win multiple gold medals. "And sometimes if you don't race at your best, it's almost the public that bring you down." Even those that race at their best were impacted. McKeown, the only Australian to win four individual Olympic gold medals, took four months off after Paris. "I was in a really dark place mentally," she said. "When you go from such a high, straight back to such a low, and you're left scrambling for ideas on what you're going to do next, it is hard to find your feet once again." After her break, and with her coach Michael Bohl retired, she changed swim clubs and moved to Queensland's Gold Coast from the Sunshine Coast. "I spent four months in a group where I wasn't finding myself really happy," McKeown said. "I made the quick decision a week before nationals (in April) and moved back to Sunny Coast. "I still haven't got a house to live. I'm in Airbnb's. "It has been a really hard transition; just the things that people don't really see when you come and race." O'Callaghan was the nation's most successful athlete in Paris, collecting three golds plus a silver and bronze. Post-Olympics, she took five months, trying to find her identity outside of the pool. The 21-year-old admitted she was still searching but was pragmatic about her problems. "You have to always step in that dark place to get the best out of yourself," O'Callaghan said. "That's what sport is about. It's putting yourself in that hole to see how mentally strong you are - and I've definitely done that this season." Her teammate Jack won two golds in Paris at her first Olympics - she missed the Tokyo Games, having just served a two-year doping ban. Jack, who was cleared of intentional doping, had a European Great Dane named Hugo - he was the sole reason she got out of bed many days while suspended. After Paris, Jack went on the television show I'm A Celebrity ...Get Me Out Of Here. Soon after returning home, she lost Hugo to cancer. "I went to the jungle to try and find myself ... but when I got home and finding out that I was losing my dog, it was a huge mental toll," she said. "He got me through everything to come back in the first place. "I had two weeks with him; there was regret just around whether or not I did everything for him. "I felt a lot of that guilt. Did I do right by him, by choosing my swimming a lot of the time, and choosing my career over my dog?" Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Olympic golden girl surfaces from dark hole
Swim star Mollie O'Callaghan has emerged from a self-described dark hole to prove she can remain a world-beater. O'Callaghan has posted the fastest women's 100m freestyle time this year - 52.87 seconds - at Australia's selection trials for the looming world titles. The 21-year-old who already boasts five Olympic gold medals has battled a post-Paris let-down, injury and illness in a troubled preparation for the trials. "I have learnt so much mentally this time ... there was a lot of setbacks," O'Callaghan said after her Friday night feat. "You have to always step in that dark place to get the best out of your self. "That's what sport is about, it's putting yourself in that hole to see how mentally strong you are - and I've definitely done that this season." O'Callaghan took five months off after being Australia's most successful athlete at last year's Olympic Games when winning three gold medals plus a silver and bronze. After the journey of self-discovery to find an identity outside of swimming, she returned to the pool but suffered a knee injury, then illness, ahead of the trials for the world titles in Singapore starting July 27. "You can't really predict injury, you can't predict sickness, you can't predict any of that," O'Callaghan said. "You can try and prevent it all you want but sometimes those things just happen and it's just how you look at it. "There was a lot of tears. But in the long run, I have learnt so much about myself and I wouldn't change a thing." Her bumpy preparation is something compatriot Zac Stubblety-Cook can relate to after he secured his spot on the Dolphins team for the worlds. Stubblety-Cook won his 200m breaststroke final in two minutes 09.09 seconds. The time was well shy of his personal best of 2.05.95, which was a world record when set in 2022 until broken by China's Qin Haiyang a year later. An Olympic gold medallist in the event at the Tokyo Games of 2021 and silver medallist last year in Paris, Stubblety-Cook was pragmatic about his latest performance. "Last year, I had a lot of time off and a lot of time to reflect and see where I was at - and make sure I really wanted to commit to the next four years," he said. "And it's year one out of four so we're taking it much more as a four-year approach (to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics)." In the men's 200m backstroke, Josh Edwards-Smith (1:56.94) and Brad Woodward (1:57.14) earnt selection for the worlds. In the women's 200m breaststroke, Ella Ramsay (2:23.92) and Tara Kinder (2:24.61) also made the team. And Sam Short's return to form continued with victory in the men's 1500m freestyle - he touched in 14:52.43, just 0.56 seconds ahead of fellow 21-year-old Ben Goedemans.
Perth Now
a day ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
Olympic golden girl surfaces from dark hole
Swim star Mollie O'Callaghan has emerged from a self-described dark hole to prove she can remain a world-beater. O'Callaghan has posted the fastest women's 100m freestyle time this year - 52.87 seconds - at Australia's selection trials for the looming world titles. The 21-year-old who already boasts five Olympic gold medals has battled a post-Paris let-down, injury and illness in a troubled preparation for the trials. "I have learnt so much mentally this time ... there was a lot of setbacks," O'Callaghan said after her Friday night feat. "You have to always step in that dark place to get the best out of your self. "That's what sport is about, it's putting yourself in that hole to see how mentally strong you are - and I've definitely done that this season." O'Callaghan took five months off after being Australia's most successful athlete at last year's Olympic Games when winning three gold medals plus a silver and bronze. After the journey of self-discovery to find an identity outside of swimming, she returned to the pool but suffered a knee injury, then illness, ahead of the trials for the world titles in Singapore starting July 27. "You can't really predict injury, you can't predict sickness, you can't predict any of that," O'Callaghan said. "You can try and prevent it all you want but sometimes those things just happen and it's just how you look at it. "There was a lot of tears. But in the long run, I have learnt so much about myself and I wouldn't change a thing." Her bumpy preparation is something compatriot Zac Stubblety-Cook can relate to after he secured his spot on the Dolphins team for the worlds. Stubblety-Cook won his 200m breaststroke final in two minutes 09.09 seconds. The time was well shy of his personal best of 2.05.95, which was a world record when set in 2022 until broken by China's Qin Haiyang a year later. An Olympic gold medallist in the event at the Tokyo Games of 2021 and silver medallist last year in Paris, Stubblety-Cook was pragmatic about his latest performance. "Last year, I had a lot of time off and a lot of time to reflect and see where I was at - and make sure I really wanted to commit to the next four years," he said. "And it's year one out of four so we're taking it much more as a four-year approach (to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics)." In the men's 200m backstroke, Josh Edwards-Smith (1:56.94) and Brad Woodward (1:57.14) earnt selection for the worlds. In the women's 200m breaststroke, Ella Ramsay (2:23.92) and Tara Kinder (2:24.61) also made the team. And Sam Short's return to form continued with victory in the men's 1500m freestyle - he touched in 14:52.43, just 0.56 seconds ahead of fellow 21-year-old Ben Goedemans.
France 24
a day ago
- Sport
- France 24
O'Callaghan, Stubblety-Cook send world championship message at Australian trials
Olympic 200m champion O'Callaghan hit the wall at Adelaide in 52.87 ahead of Olivia Wunsch (53.38) with all eight finalists under the qualifying time for the event in Singapore next month. Four of them were teenagers as the next generation steps up after the retirement of Emma McKeon and Cate Campbell, with coveted 4x100m relay spots at stake. A dominant Australia were unbeaten in the relay at the worlds from 2019 until last year when their under-strength team was usurped in Doha by the Dutch. They have won 4x100m relay gold at the last four Olympics, spearheaded by O'Callaghan, McKeon, Meg Harris and Shayna Jack in Paris last year. Harris opted out of the Adelaide final after swimming the fastest heat on Friday but is expected to be on the team, but Jack only came eighth in the final to miss out. "This is probably only my fourth 100m of the season, so definitely a tough one," said O'Callaghan on day five of the six-day meet. "The depth just shows in this 100 how much pressure there is to perform and to get to the top. "I'm pretty proud of these ladies, that they could show up, especially the younger ones, to step up and fill in the roles of the older girls who've retired." O'Callaghan won three gold, along with a silver and a bronze in Paris. But she was beaten into fourth over 100m by Swedish great Sarah Sjostrom, American Torri Huske and Hong Kong's Siobhan Haughey despite being the favourite. Tokyo Olympic champion Stubblety-Cook made sure he is on the plane to face off again with Marchand, who edged him into silver at the last Games. The last time he raced over 200m in Adelaide he stopped the clock in a world record 2:05.95 at the 2022 trials. That mark has since been surpassed by China's Qin Haiyang, with Stubblety-Cook, who is on the way back from injury, content with 2:09.09. "Pretty happy with that, to get the job done," said the Australian, and is now being coached by Mel Marshall, who long mentored British breaststroke great Adam Peaty. "Probably wanted to go a little bit faster, but just building into the summer." Ella Ramsay (2:23.92) led a one-two with fellow rising star Tara Kinder (2:24.61) in the women's 200m breaststroke, mirroring their feat in the 200m medley. In other races, Joshua Edwards-Smith (1:56.94) and Bradley Woodward (1:57.14) were under the qualifying time in the men's 200m backstroke while Sam Short (14:52.43) won the 1,500m freestyle.
