Cook Targeting Representative Return After Training Break

Western Australian swim star Tamsin Cook says her decision to take a two month training break earlier in the year has provided the catalyst for a refreshed and balanced focus for her career ahead.

After a dream Olympic debut in Rio last year, where the teen anchored Australia’s 4x200m freestyle relay to a silver medal, Cook returned home and found that in the months that followed, her drive and enthusiasm had begun to wane.

Having sacrificed elements of her academic pursuits to chase her Olympic ambition, Cook found that the physical and emotional pressure of trying to continue through for this year’s World Championships was weighing heavily.

“I definitely needed a physical break and a mental break as well,” Cook said in an interview with the ABC.

“It’s a very challenging sport, it’s a very challenging lifestyle and after last year I was pretty overwhelmed about the prospect of getting back into the workload.”

During her training sabbatical, Cook reinvigorated herself by shifting focus back to her studies, whilst also taking the opportunity to complete a work experience placement in the media industry.

Now back in full training with the Challenge High Performance squad at HBF Stadium and having struck an effective balance between training and school, Cook says she is relishing the opportunity to again, wear the green and gold.

“After you experience an Olympic Games, it’s like no other competition, especially in swimming,” she said.

“I just want to be back in that environment again, I would love to make it back there.”

You can read the ABC feature on Tamsin Cook here.