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Dean Boxall is the talk of the Tokyo Olympics, but who is Ariarne Titmus’s enigmatic coach?


Dean Boxall, Ariarne Titmus’s coach and the man who set a new benchmark for bonkers celebrations at the Olympics, is trending.

In case you missed it, Boxall’s now-famous out-of-body experience came when Titmus hit the wall 0.67 of a second in front of arguably the greatest female swimmer of all time, the USA’s Katie Ledecky, to win gold.

It freaked out a Japanese official, revived footage featuring the tight trunks of a forgotten wrestler and prompted a statement from the IOC.

Here’s some more detail on the man who shook that stadium barrier to high heaven and proceeded to break the internet.

The stadium barriers took the brunt of Dean Boxall’s transcendent celebration. (

Supplied: Channel Seven

)

He has been described as a ‘rockstar’ coach

It might be the flowing locks, the way he can play to a crowd even when the stadium is empty, or the manner in which he thrusts those hips, but Boxall was already known as a high-octane kind of guy before his viral moment.

“That’s just the way Dean is,” Titmus said after she heard about the footage.

“He is just passionate about what he does, he becomes so animated.”

The 44-year-old Boxall was born in South Africa and moved with his family to Brisbane when he was seven.

His rise to prominence in the elite swimming world has seen him likened to coaching icon Laurie Lawrence.

“Boxall coaches like a hurricane and talks like a force of nature once he gets going,” reads one profile in the Sydney Morning Herald from 2019.

He coaches six more Olympians

While he and Ariarne Titmus’s names will be linked forever, Boxall is also coaching Elijah Winnington, Mitch Larkin, Meg Harris, Mollie O’Callaghan and Abbey Harkin at Tokyo.

He heads up St Peters Western in Brisbane

Boxall’s link to St Peters Western has been raised everywhere in the aftermath of Titmus’s famous victory.

St Peters Western has a reputation as the country’s pre-eminent program for elite swimmers.

It’s where he has been known to roam up and down pool lanes with the kind of liveliness and spirit we saw high above the pool deck at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.

Ariarne Titmus touches the pool wall ahead of Katie Ledecky at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.
Titmus touched the wall ahead of Ledecky to hand the American her first ever Olympic loss.(

AP: David J. Phillip

)

His bold style has been credited with taking Titmus from young star to world-beater.

When Boxall and Titmus joined forces at St Peters Western, Boxall told Nine Newspapers that Titmus’s best was then 16 seconds behind Ledecky’s in the 400m freestyle.

Titmus is a big fan

The swimmer and coach are known to have formed a special bond in their quest to chase down one of the sport’s all-time greats.

“[It’s] for him as much as it is for me. He puts 100 per cent into being a swimming coach,” Titmus said after winning gold.

Ariarne Titmus holds up her gold medal at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.
Ariarne Titmus says she would not have won Olympic gold without Boxall’s guidance.(

AP: Matthias Schrader)

)

And on social media, Titmus has sung the praises to Boxall, telling her Instagram followers:  “Where I am today would not be possible without the guidance of my coach Dean, St Peters Western and all my family.”

He has caught the IOC’s attention

A key moment in Boxall’s wild-eyed procession was the empathic removal of his face mask, prompting the IOC to remind those with Games accreditation to abide by COVID protocols.

“We ask everyone – all stakeholder groups present in Tokyo – to continue to follow the playbooks, which provide the clearest possible guidelines on how to minimise risk of exposure to COVID-19,” an IOC spokesperson told the Herald and The Age.

“We completely understand that athletes want to celebrate their achievements and special moments at the pinnacle of their sporting career.

“In order to ensure safe and secure Games for all participants and the Japanese people, it is essential that everyone plays by the rules.”

He ‘bleeds’ with his swimmers

That’s what Boxall said to reporters when explaining his reaction.

“I bleed with my athletes. When they leave the pool deck with me … they have to start the recovery process and go home,” he said.

“They switch off. I don’t. I go home and dream for them. I go home and try and find a way for them to get better.

“That’s probably why I let it out, why I got emotional. It’s not just a 9-5 job, it’s 24/7. I wake up at night and I’m thinking of how can Arnie get better, how can Mitch get better, how can Elijah get better.”



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