Australian swimming coach facing backlash after voicing support for South Korean athlete
Australian swimming coach recently came under fire after he backed an athlete who is set to compete for a different country at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Head coach Rohan Taylor described Michael Palfrey's public support for the South Korean swimmer Kim Woo-min as "un-Australian." Taylor also suggested that Palfrey could be forced to return to Australia before Olympic swimming competition gets underway this weekend.
This year, swimmers will compete at Defense Arena, which is located in the western portion of Paris' suburbs. "Very disappointed. Extremely disappointed," Taylor said. "For a coach on our team to promote another athlete ahead of our athletes is not acceptable."
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Rohan Taylor, Head Coach of Team Australia, speaks to the media during a Team Australia Swimming Press Conference at Main Press Centre ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 25, 2024 in Paris, France. (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)
Palfrey is part of the Australian staff at the Olympics, overseeing the preparations for three swimmers and working with a fourth athlete as well. But he previously coached Kim, who is the South Korean men’s 400-meter freestyle world champion.
In an interview with South Korean television, Palfrey said he was pulling for Kim to claim gold in that event on the opening day of the swimming competition.
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"I really hope he can win, but ultimately I really hope he swims well," Palfrey said. He added, "Go Korea."
Taylor said Palfrey later apologized for what was characterized as a lapse in judgment. But, Taylor added that he would hold a meeting with the Australian athletes to discuss whether the coach should continue on with the team in Paris.
"For me, my priority is the performance of the team, the performance of the athletes," Taylor said. "I need to look at the performance of the team and make a judgment call on that."
Kim Woo-min Team Republic of Korea celebrates after winning gold in the Men's 400m Freestyle Final on day ten of the Doha 2024 World Aquatics Championships at Aspire Dome on February 11, 2024 in Doha, Qatar. (Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
Australia has two of the leading gold-medal contenders in the 400 freestyle: 2023 world champion Sam Short and 2022 world champion Elijah Winnington.
It's not unusual for coaches to work with athletes from other countries. One of the top American coaches, Bob Bowman, leads a training group that includes French star Léon Marchand.
Australian swimmers and coaches check out the pool at La Defense Arena ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
However, considering the Olympics were looming, Taylor said, it was totally unacceptable for a coach on the Australian staff to express support for another country's swimmer.
"We confronted him with those details," Taylor said. "He owns that and was taken to task for it. He's very remorseful and we're now dealing with it."
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But, Australian swimmer Bronte Campbell, competing in her fourth Olympics, said the controversy has "barely caused a ripple" within the powerhouse team.
"When you come into an Olympic Games, it’s all about protecting your energy. It's a big, long, emotional competition," she said. "Everyone knows what they have to do. We always talk about focusing on performance first. The way you do that is focusing on the things you can control that are right in front of you."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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