For Team GB swimming coach Mel Marshall the Rio 2016 Olympic Games will be her third Olympics but she goes into the event as part of an even smaller club - one where she has experienced the pinnacle of sporting excellence both as an athlete and as a coach.
Marshall, who these days coaches World Champion and World Record holder Adam Peaty, made her Olympic debut at the Athens 2004 games. Four years later she represented her country yet again in Beijing and is now part of Team GB currently undergoing final preparations at its holding camp in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
As one of Britain’s most decorated swimmers, Marshall was a key component to many British teams from 1998 to 2008 and the experience gained as an athlete is now applied to her role as a coach.
“It’s a very different approach coming into an Olympic Games as a coach. I think the biggest change is an athlete goes to the Olympics looking to get as much as they possibly can out the Games - they train relentlessly to achieve their outcome and deserve everything that comes their way,” explained Marshall. “In contrast, the role of the coach is about containing everything.
“As an athlete you want to be at your physical and mental best and to channel all of your energy and excitement towards that performance whereas for me, this time around, it’s about ensuring that everything remains calm and contained while absorbing any anxieties if they exist.”
Marshall is a firm believer in the romance of sport but
applies a logical approach to her role and responsibilities.
“The way I view sport is a part of me that I do not want to lose but it’s all about balance and I try to ensure this in everything I do," Marshall said.
“When you’re part of the team you have to be someone different at certain times to certain people and that’s an important role.
“As an athlete I was always fully focused but never saw it as an individual sport. I was very team aware and that’s something that has helped me a lot with my role as a coach.”
Marshall believes the team is ideally placed in terms of its preparations with the Rio Olympics just days away.
“The camp here in Belo has been very relaxed. It’s been fun but focused and you can tell the athletes are at a good point. You look around the pool deck in training and you get a real sense that everyone is ready,” said Marshall.
“The facility at UFMG is one of the best we’ve ever used and the BOA, UK Sport and the University have done an excellent job. You couldn’t have picked a better place and location to have the camp and fine tune over the final days before the Games.”