Australian coach named to teach swimmer Park

SEOUL, Jan. 4 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's swimming star Park Tae-hwan will be
trained by Australian Michael Bohl to defend his titles at the Asian Games later
this year, Seoul's sports governing body said Monday.
The Korea Swimming Federation (KSF) said it has appointed the Australian as a
special coach to exclusively train the 20-year-old swimmer who has been in slump
since his lackluster performances at the world championship in Rome last year.
"Bohl will map out a separate plan for Park and train him," said Jeong Il-chung,
an executive director of the KSF. "Bohl said that he was watching Park during the
Beijing Olympics and the Rome world championship and he will help Park succeed
again at the Asian Games."
Bohl led Australia's national squad for the 1992 and 2008 Olympics and the 2009
world championship, and coached Stephanie Rice to win three gold medals in
Beijing in 2008. He was named Coach of the Year in his country last year.
Park, who won golds in 400 meter freestyle events at the 2007 world championship
and the 2008 Olympics, failed to even qualify for the final round of last year's
world championship.
The KSF has been seeking a foreign coach to train Park exclusively and bring him
back into peak condition ahead of the Asian Games slated for November in
Guangzhou, China. Park grabbed three golds, one silver and three bronzes at the
2006 Asian Games.
The Australian coach will visit Seoul on Friday to take a first look at his
student, the KSF said. He will coach Park until the Asian Games end.
Park will next week head to Australia for a one-month training session with his
new coach in Brisbane.
brk@yna.co.kr
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