Australian swimmer James Magnussen has come up with what he feels is the solution to not winning a gold medal in London: A “mind coach.”
Or, as we’ll call it, a head doctor.
Amid reports of drug and alcohol use, bullying and hazing rituals, the Aussies won just 10 swimming medals at last summer’s Olympics – one gold, six silver and three bronze. Magnussen was brash and confident leading up to the Games, saying he would win the 100m freestyle and lead the 4x100m freestyle relay team to victory. But neither happened.
American Nathan Adrian out-touched the man who is often called “Maggie” in the 100m freestyle and in the relay, the Aussies finished fourth.
Magnussen returns to action this week for a meet in Perth, Australia.
“I think more than anything I got wrong (was) my life outside of the pool,” Magnussen told Reuters today. “I did everything I needed to do in the lead-up in the pool. (But the results) just showed there were some imbalances.”
As a result, Magnussen said he’s been working with a “mind coach” to right the ship that is his head. “Not necessarily purely for the psychological side of swimming, but for my life in general,” Magnussen said. “I’ve really worked hard on trying to be a more positive and easygoing person. I think it’s paid huge dividends both in and out of the pool.”
This summer at the World Championships, we’ll get a sense of how Maggie’s “mind coaching” has helped him.
