Theresa Goh’s Paralympics bronze medal one of my career highlights: Coach
Their performances at the Paralympic Games have stirred a nation and caught its collective attention, and coach Mick Massey could not be more delighted.
Since taking charge in February 2015, the English coach of Singapore’s Paralympic swimmers Theresa Goh and Yip Pin Xiu has helped mastermind their sterling performances in Rio de Janeiro this past two weeks.
Yip struck gold in both her races to bring her Paralympic gold medal tally to three and become Singapore’s first-ever multi-medallist at a Games, while team-mate and best friend Goh clinched her first-ever Paralympic medal at her fourth Games outing.
“I am very, very proud of the girls and really happy for the team,” he told Yahoo Singapore from Brazil.
“It is a team effort; there are a lot of people who deserve a lot of credit for the hard work that went into these performances.”
Massey, who previously coached Britain’s Paralympic team, paid tribute to the pair, as well as the rest of the support staff.
These included the Singapore Sports Institute, the Singapore Disability Sports Council, his employer Dulwich College and right down to the lifeguards and staff at the OCBC Aquatic Centre.
An incredible journey
The 56-year-old admitted he felt nervous when Yip’s second swim in the 50-metre breaststroke S2 on Friday morning (Singapore time) was delayed due to a venue maintenance issue at the Olympic Aquatic Stadium.
But he had faith in his 24-year-old charge’s “mental toughness” and was proven right as she touched the wall first to cap a remarkable Games.
“I think we both felt the same, we just wanted to go out there and get the job done,” he said. “Her [overall] performances were outstanding but they were no more than she deserved, considering the hard work she put in.”
Massey, a UK Sports Coach Hall of Fame inductee who has coached gold-medalists swimmers at the last two Paralympics and four world championships, also revealed that Goh’s bronze medal win was particularly special.
“On a personal note, Theresa’s bronze will always be one of the highlights of my professional career,” he said. “To go from 10th in the world on 2:12sec to third in the world on 1:54.50s for a 29-year-old veteran of four Paralympic Games is a very, very big achievement.”
It is little wonder then that the Manchester native is satisfied with the progress and results in his Singapore tenure so far.
“The last 19 months have been an incredible journey for the girls, myself and our support team,” he said. “I think it’s fair to say I am happy, yes.”
Theresa Goh still has one event left in Rio in the 100m freestyle S5. She will swim her heats on Saturday, 17/9, at 10.01pm, Singapore time. The final is scheduled for Sunday, 18/9 at 6.36am.
Read also:
- Phenomenal to win Paralympics gold again: Yip Pin Xiu
- Theresa Goh on first Paralympics medal: I’ve wanted this for a long time
- The story behind this heartwarming photo
- We are very, very grateful for the support of Singaporeans: Yip Pin Xiu
