Our Great Coach on this episode is rowing’s, Paul Thompson.
Paul started coaching in his early 20’s when a hand injury impacted his ability to compete as a rower.
He’s coached at the last 8 Olympic Games leading teams from Australia, Britain and China, and at each of these games his teams have won medals.
He coached the team of Kate Slatter and Megan Still to Australia’s first women’s Olympic rowing gold at Atlanta 1996.
In 2004, he became Great Britain’s head coach for the Women and Lightweights squad, and has led the team to win 45 medals at the World Championships including 17 gold medals. While over the Beijing, London and Rio Olympics, the squad won 11 medals including 5 gold.
Then at 2021 Tokyo Olympics he led the Chinese women’s quad to Gold.
He has also authored 2 books on Rowing and in 2013 was awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).
Paul is the type of person who you feel instantly at ease with. The long arc of his career has given him deep experience with the high and lows of life in elite sport and human endeavor, and this shines through in the way he talks about life and leadership.
This interview was a special one for us and I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
If you would like to send us any feedback or if you know a great coach, who has a unique story to share, then we would love to hear from you, please contact us at thegreatcoachespodcast@gmail.com or contact us through our website thegreatcoachespodcast.com
