The retirement of storied Australian Olympic coach Michael Bohl after the 2024 Olympic Games didn’t last long as 7News is reporting the former Griffith University leader has taken up a post with the Chinese Swimming Association.
Bohl, former coach to multi-Olympic medalists to the tune of Kaylee McKeown and Emma McKeon, has been hired as an adviser at China’s high-performance centers in Shanghai and Beijing.
“Swimming Australia is aware that Michael Bohl has accepted a role in China,” Swimming Australia said in a statement to 7NEWS.
“Michael has been influential on the sport’s biggest stage for more than three decades and while disappointed to lose a coach of his calibre, Michael’s international experience and global learnings will always be welcomed back on pool deck.
“Swimming Australia’s High Performance structure and coaching support is world leading and as such, will continue to attract international attention.”
When Bohl announced his retirement intentions last summer, the 61-year-old said, “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.
“I’m in no hurry to work out what I want to do so I just want to stop and smell the coffee a little bit for 12 months.
“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?
“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’.”
Bohl isn’t the first Aussie coach to work with the Chinese squad, as Denis Cotterell has been involved with the nation for the past several years, including as coach of former world record holder and Olympic champion Sun Yang.
China placed 6th in the swimming medal table at the Paris Olympic Games, highlighted by then-19-year-old Pan Zhanle decisive victory in the men’s 100m free, setting a new world record of 46.40 to win by over a second.
On the women’s side, Zhang Yufei was particularly impressive, capturing a total of six medals, including individual bronzes in the 50m free, 100m fly and 200m fly.
Who’s next for China ? Dean Boxall ?
Traitor! We will not accept him back.
It is very sad to hear from an Australian perspective, but given Denis Cotterell has just retired to his home on the Gold Coast after Paris, I’m sure coach Bohl would have got a good rundown on the pros and cons of the consulting lifestyle in China from DC. In this country at least, we cannot go close to matching the salaries and bonuses offered by China to their top expat coaches/consultants.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Yet another coach who finds “greener” pastures (literally $$) outside their native NGB.
When will anyone learn?
Taking a break was clearly bs and just a cover for jetting off to China.
Yeah I don’t think that’s an unfair assessment…his whole “stopping to smell the coffee” bit doesn’t quite pass the smell test now…
I agree, but at least he had the decency to remove himself from his role in Aus before he went after this.
Bit of an aside, but the Hungarian Athlete of the Year Gala was today and the Male Athlete of the Year award was handed out by Katinka Hosszu and Ian Thorpe, who got quite the ovation from the audience. I had no idea he is that popular in Hungary.
Swimming is pretty big in Hungary (relative to a lot of places) and Thorpe is popular anywhere among people who know swimming.
I haven’t done the full math but Hungary may be the best per capita Olympic Swimming medals nation. I know they are #2 behind Finland for per capita Summer Olympic medals in general based on total medals and current population (AUS is 14th, US is 39th out of 141 medal winning countries https://medalspercapita.com/#medals-per-capita:summer). Now if you adjust that based on the population at the time of each games things would shift a bit for a lot of other nations. Though Hungary has been in the 6 – 11 million population range for a long time so they aren’t going to change much. The US has gone from 71.8 million at the 1896 games to… Read more »
It’s always shocking to me how small Hungary’s population is. Feels like it should have a much bigger population.
One thing to consider is that around 30% of Hungarians don’t live in Hungary. There is a population of almost 2 million in North America alone (1.6+0.35 million between the States and Canada) and another 2.6 million in Europe (neighbouring countries and Western Europe). Granted, that’s still not that big a population.
I actually never realised how good Hungary was per capita in swimming.
To compare to Australia right now:
Australia vs Hungary
Population: 2.77x
Gold medals: 2.44x
Total medals: 2.96x
So Hungary is better for golds and Australia is better for total medals. But as you say, that’s using current population only. Between 1896 and 1960, Australia and Hungary had a pretty similar population. Then again, about 2/3 of Australia’s golds have come since 1964.
I think that’s part of the reason why I always liked Australians in sports. Australia, just like Hungary, punches above its weight both in swimming and at the Olympics in general.
I wonder how betrayed Kaylee is feeling right now.
He’s been coaching for 37 years and decided to change it up. Betrayed seems extreme and she already dealt with a coach leaving her after Tokyo. Is pretty remarkable to see 2 different coaches walk away from a top 3 swimmer in the world in her prime, can’t imagine that’s happened before this century.
I’m saying betrayed, cuz that’s probably the reactive feeling you would get when it appears like you were told a massive lie
lets be honest. Kaylee was probably in the loop.
Keep hearing this lately. Someone is quoted in an article of their plans. Plans change and then they are called a liar?
Bohly is free to make choices…. Just like choices were made in 1980 and he was left home and off the Olympic Team because the government in support of the US boycott limited their Olympic Roster. he had finished 2nd in his event. Then plans change he was offered a scholarship to train and study in the US and the rest is history.
Coaching in China is challenging but can be lucrative. Schubert had described coaching in China as ground hog day. Best of luck Bohly!
I didn’t know that Michael Bohl was left off the 1980 Olympic Team because of the Fraser government restrictions. That more or less completes the picture about the decision he’s made to coach in China.
Like IOC president Bach, any athlete caught up in the politics of that period seems to be grimly ambivalent about totalitarianism vs democracy, having experienced the personal trauma that the politics of the day wrought on their athletic careers.
It’s very understandable that a coach who has been as brilliant as Michael Bohl would, not withstanding the success he has had, be ripe for a change of environment and culture. Trying to beg and cajole some of Australia’s best swimmers to realise their potential, when… Read more »
But your right, she seems like she has had unlucky streak with that ay😂
I can’t find the exact reference right now but Kaylee has said that Bohl already told her he was stopping after Paris when she joined him.
Whether she knew finer details I don’t know, but for sure she knew he was probably stopping as her coach so she doesn’t really have anything to be upset about (unless he coaches a Chinese swimmer to beat her directly lol)
I saw that too, it’s around 3:25 into the interview, though jumping to 2:20 for the full context might be better. https://swimswam.com/kaylee-mckeown-gives-candid-look-into-5-medal-paris-performance-struggles-with-confidence/
But yes she knew when she started with him that he was done after Paris.