The Making Of A World Champ

From the verge of quitting to gearing up for his second Olympics, F-Teamer and 50m backstroke World Champion Isaac Cooper has revealed how his unconventional approach to training has kept him in love with swimming.

Cooper, who competed in the 100m backstroke and was a part of Australia’s bronze medal winning 4x100m mixed medley relay team in Tokyo, trains in other sports alongside swimming in a unique program that he initially implemented to improve his mindset and keep him in the sport of swimming.

“Life is always a balance, and I was just doing the same thing all the time. You can forget about all the beautiful things in life, hanging out with friends, doing surfing, doing other sports, not having to worry about getting injured.

There’s a whole big world out there to explore and when stuck in these narrow confines, it makes your goals not seem achievable but seem unwanted.”

Cooper, from Bundaberg in Queensland, believes that this change in his training was paramount to his longevity in swimming as he was on the verge of quitting the sport altogether.

“I wanted to quit at one stage because of the regime. So, Ash Delaney (his coach) sat down with me and said, “I don’t want you to quit but if that’s your decision, then that’s ok, but what if we can create a programme that could ease your mind and still create elite performance?”

So I said “These are all things I’ve wanted to do. I’ve always wanted to do these other sports. I’ve always wanted to see how they work with swimming as well.”

Cooper’s new-look training programme involved a mix of MMA, tennis, surfing, sprint, and weight training. With the Olympics coming up however, his focus has moved to recovery.

“Recoveries are very un-utilised, and swimmers may not realise how much they’re over training.

I incorporate a mix of gym, for getting strength gains, a mix of surfing for aerobic gains and a mix of resistance and technique swim training. I take those gains and try to put them into the pool to channel all towards swimming fast. It’s like spending time away from the pool makes my swimming better.”

With Cooper having won his maiden World Championship gold medal in Doha earlier this year, he believes his new methods are working and has had other athletes privately asking him about the regime.

“A lot of people are onboard simply because it’s new. I’m also living proof that it works. I’m not preaching these things, I’m putting it into practise. I’m really enjoying from being told what to do, to becoming a bit of a coach of myself, trying to understand my body and the science behind it as well. I hope it has the same benefits on their lives as it has on mine.”

After graduating from Toowoomba Grammar School, Cooper began his professional swimming career at Rackley Swimming Club in Brisbane. But after 18 months, he decided a change was needed and switched camps, moving up north to St. Andrew’s Anglican College in Peregian Springs on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. It is there that Cooper believes a big part of his rise has come from working with his coach Ash Delaney, a Beijing Olympic silver medallist himself.

“Ash has an incredible eye for technique and is one of the most talented coaches I’ve had the pleasure to work with,” said Cooper.

"It was a bit of a risk at the time because it was a small club and not very well developed. But I could see the potential of the club and I wanted to get in on it early.”

Cooper’s foresight of St. Andrew’s has seemingly come into fruition with 100m freestyle Olympic gold medallist and short course world record holder, Kyle Chalmers now coached by Delaney with fellow freestyler Dylan Andrea joining the squad too.

Although Delaney’s coaching talents was a big plus, his down-to-earth personality and friendliness also attracted Cooper.

“I’d consider Ash as a friend as well as a coach and even if I was to quit swimming, I’d still chat with him, I’d still hang out with him, and I love that. The successes I’ve been through, Ash has been with me and the lows I’ve gone through, Ash has also been with me, and it’s been an honour to share those with him.”

With Paris around the corner, Cooper is currently gearing up for the Australian Olympic Trials and is more focused than ever to reach what would be his second Olympic Games. He has gone through issues in and out of the pool since his first Olympics, however feels those trials and tribulations have made him a better athlete than ever before.

“For anyone who’s followed my career, good on you, because it’s been a rollercoaster of a ride and thanks for coming along for the journey. I think I’ve been very lucky qualifying for every single Australian team since I was 17 and I’ve been able to make some good friends on it.

I’ve made mistakes as a human and in past training programs, but the beautiful thing about mistakes is you always learn from them. I’ve taken good things in, taken the bad things out to make me a better person and an optimal athlete before my second Olympic Games.”

Finally what does being sponsored by Funky Trunks mean to Isaac? At this point, it’s hard to stop him talking!

“As a kid, I was wearing these triangle club togs and I remember at this little club meet, there was this one guy who was wearing yellow fluro trunks, and they looked so cool.

I remember going up to him saying how much I liked his trunks. We became friends and we’re still friends now. When I found out they were Funky Trunks, I got a pair, scrolled through their website, followed their Instagram and I saw all these crazy prints which I thought were so cool.

I thought they matched my personality. I really enjoy showing off these new prints as well when I walk into training. I sent Funky Trunks a message on Instagram, they were so kind and caring and were keen to get me on board. For the last four years that relationship has stayed the same, the enthusiasm has stayed the same as well. The prints just keep on coming out. There’s always something to wear on pool day and I don’t have to be bored wearing the same togs all day which I love.”

That’s what we love to hear! We’ll be cheering Isaac on for a big few months ahead. You can follow him at @mrisaaccooper