Before Coaching Ariarne Titmus, Dean Boxall’s Wild Side Landed Him in Emergency: “Splitting My Head and Getting 14 Stitches”

Ariarne Titmus’ longtime coach Dean Boxall went after his ‘Ultimate Warrior’ celebration in 2021. It was a tribute to his favorite “favorite” pro wrestler James Brian Hellwig. Since then Boxall has become the Ultimate Warrior swim coach and not because he just led Titmus to 400m gold in Paris. In fact, the swimming coach has been adventurous and energetic since he was a baby.

Sally Boxall remembered how her son was thrown into the water at just two months old and surprised everyone. “My mum looked up and I was swimming,” said the 47-year-old. As swimming coach herself, Sally Boxall directed her son’s “inexhaustible” energy to ward learning swimming, and he soon developed a knack for the competitive side of the sport.

However, Mrs. Boxall also remembered her son’s energetic and adventurous nature often got him in trouble. “I remember two days out from the Western Province championships splitting my head and getting 14 stitches,” Boxall told the Herald Sun. While many teenagers would withdraw from a contest after suffering such an injury, Ariarne Titmus’s mentor didn’t.

Dean Boxall described his mother as a “tough South African,” and that he had inherited that toughness. “I just swam with a double cap on,” to protect the over a dozen fresh stitches from the water, added the 2021 Swammy Award winner. However, Coach Boxall’s fearless, energetic nature and physical and mental toughness were more than just personal qualities.

His infectious energy, relentless planning, and ability to motivate have helped mold champions. The Ultimate Warrior has led Ariarne Titmus, Mollie O’Callaghan, and Meg Harris to win multiple national and international medals, including Olympic gold. It was the 47-year-old’s dogged determination that helped Arnie defeat Katie Ledecky in Tokyo.

Ariarne Titmus’s coach studied Katie Ledecky for years

11x Olympic medalist Katie Ledecky made a historic Olympic debut in 2016, winning the 400m freestyle gold medal at just 15. By the time the Tokyo Olympics rolled around, she was the favorite to win gold yet again. However, the 2019 ASCTA Coach of the Year, had other plans. During his interview with the Herald Sun, Boxall admitted to obsessing over helping Arnie beat Ledecky in the 400m free.

So, the coach studied Ledecky, her technique, advantages, and disadvantages for three years, leading up to Tokyo. Dean Boxall combined modern techniques such as data compilation with his personal experience to train his protege. “I was obsessed in Tokyo. I was a maniac…” admitted the Australian coach. However, it all paid off when Ariarne shocked Ledecky to win gold.

The causal swimming fan may think of Dean Boxall as Team Australia’s quirky coach. However, the fact that he embraced his wild side as a competitor and then as a coach, has helped him train world and Olympic champions.