“Hardly a Scandal”: ‘Go Korea’ Australian Coach Divides Swimming Community Despite Upsetting His Paris Olympics Team

Australian Olympic swimming coach Michael Palfrey has divided the swimming community and upset his Paris Olympics team with his recent remarks. In an interview with South Korean TV reporters, Palfrey expressed his support for South Korean swimmer Kim Woo-min. This transpired as an act of disloyalty to his own kith and kin of the athletes, Sam Short and Elijah Winnington, were competing in the men’s 400m freestyle. He said, “I really hope he (Woo-min) can win, but ultimately I really hope he swims well.”

Adding to the uproar, he ended the interview with a cheer of “Go Korea” while still wearing his Australian team shirt. This has sparked backlash and prompted the Australian Olympic Committee to demand an explanation, raising serious questions about his allegiance. Now, Michael Palfrey is under intense scrutiny by the swimming fans for his latest comments.

Michael Palfrey’s loyalties questioned amid controversial comments

Recently, on X, Tom Decent shared how Michael Palfrey spoke highly about Kim Woo-min after training him. They captioned it, “Exclusive: big story breaking out of Paris. An Australian swimming coach is in hot water after comments he made in an interview with South Korean media and @smh @theage. Says he wants a Korean swimmer to beat Aussies and will be helping him do it.” Palfrey thinks Kim is at par with Australian swimming duo Sam Short and Elijah Winnington and the fight will be tough amongst them in the men’s 400m freestyle on Sunday. 

The Sunshine Coast coach who is looking after Zac Incerti, Abbey Connor, and Alex Perkins during this Olympics also mentioned how the training sessions are very much a collaborative effort between the coaches of Australia and South Korea. As per what he witnessed in the training, the last 100 to 200 meters is going to be a bit of a “dogfight” and the deciding factor. Additionally, he thinks that three or four of the swimmers have a chance of making it big and Woo-min is one of them. He said, “We need Woo-min to lift, that’s what I’ll be saying to him.”

In the past, SK swimmers Kim Wommin, Hwang Sunwoo, Lee Hojoon, Lee Yooyeon, and Yang Jaehoon had all been approved by Swimming Australia to train in Queensland under Michael Palfrey. During this time, he helped Kim gradually improve over six months, raising concerns within the Dolphins camp earlier this year. Swimming Australia instructed that ties with international swimmers must end before the Olympic trials to prevent conflicts of interest.

Despite this, Palfrey is still on the coaching team for Australia. However, beating Short and Winnington will be no small feat for Kim. At the 2023 World Championships, Short won the 400m freestyle title, and Winnington earned the silver medal. The two edged out Kim, who came third in Doha. Moreover, it seems that Michael Palfrey’s intentions are being taken completely out of context. Even fans have made a note of this. 

Michael Palfrey under fire for comments as fans unexpectedly rally behind coach

Swimming fans have really shown that they have their rationale and cognitive thinking skills intact when responding to this news. They’ve responded by criticizing the tweet and thankfully, not the coach. One fan hit back, arguing that supporting another athlete doesn’t mean Michael Palfrey wants Australia to lose. Additionally, with Short and Winnington having better times than Kim, spreading false gossip only harms the reputations of skilled coaches. They wrote, “Do you have him quoted as saying he wants Woo-min to beat our guys? Because this is hardly a scandal based on what he’s said. Also his best time this year at 400m is 3:42, Short and Winnington have both got 3:41.”

Another fan also backed Michael Palfrey pointing out that the coach only wanted one of his trainees to excel. Palfrey has spent quite some time improving on the SK swimmer’s skills and naturally would like to see his hard work bear fruit. The fan expressed their support writing, “He’s excited for a swimmer he coached to do well. As long as he isn’t providing inside information to Korea that he gained as part of being on the Olympic staff then I don’t see a problem. Coaches are allowed to coach swimmers from other countries & be excited for them.”

Another fan noted that countries often send swimmers abroad for diverse coaching and competitive experience. It’s been happening for ages and does not need a whole article defaming a coach. They remarked, “Unlike other sports, swimmers from different nations often train under the same coach. Case in point: Bowman 🇺🇸 coaching Marchand 🇫🇷 and Kos 🇭🇺 and also Americans like Regan Smith. A coach should want their athlete to do well. A nothing burger story.”

One fan noted that other Swimming Australia-authorized swimmers will also face tough competition. However, their training under the Australian coaches does not alter the coach’s loyalties. The fan brought up several examples when supporting Michael Palfrey, “I can think of a few swimmers who train in Australia that will compete head to head with Australians. Seto  🇯🇵 400 IM he trains under Michael Bohl. As does Ikee 🇯🇵 100 fly. They have aussie competition with Smith & McKeon. Salchow  100 free trains with Matt Temple in Adelaide.”

Another fan seemed more straightforward when calling out the misleading information in a tweet. Ahead of the Olympics, news agencies often craft catchy headlines and stir up unnecessary drama. They wrote sarcastically, “Admits mentoring rival” or “South Korean swimmers…visited Queensland and trained under Palfrey, a situation that was approved by Swimming Australia.” Big story. Please.”