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SINGAPORE: National swim star Tao Li's decision to drop long-time coach Peter Churchill has sparked fears it could disrupt her preparations for the 2012 London Olympics.
On Wednesday, it was reported that the 20-year-old had decided to part ways with Churchill as she needed a new coach to help her make the step up.
But Ken Wood, one of Australia's top coaches who has trained the likes of Olympic champions Leisel Jones and Jessicah Schipper, believes the decision to part could make or break Tao Li.
"It can go two ways. They can give up, or keep going," Wood, 80, told MediaCorp in a phone interview from Australia on Wednesday.
"I don't think it will have any particular effect on her unless she lets it. It's up to the swimmer to adapt to it and move on. If she wants to go to the Olympics badly enough, she can move on without the coach.
"The whole thing really rests with the swimmer."
Churchill, 34, a senior coach at the Singapore Sports School, has guided her since 2006. Tao Li is one of six elite athletes in the government-run Olympic Pathway Programme, which has a war chest of $6.3 million to help them win medals at the 2012 Olympics.
MediaCorp understand that a search is underway to find a replacement for Churchill, and one name being mentioned is John Dempsey, the former coaching director of the now defunct Centre of Excellence, which was closed in mid-2008 after the Singapore Swimming Association decided to decentralise it.
Prior to arriving in Singapore in 2004, Dempsey was a coach at the renowned Redcliffe City High Performance Centre in Queensland, Australia, which is run by Wood.
Dempsey is currently coaching in Hong Kong.
Tao Li, a 100m butterfly finalist at the 2008 Beijing Games, is regarded as one
of Singapore's brightest prospects for the London Olympics.
She announced her arrival on the continent at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, where she clinched gold in the women's 50m fly (26.73sec) and a bronze in the 100m fly (58.96sec).
Two years later, enroute to the Beijing 100m fly final where she finished fifth, Tao Li clocked a then-Asian record of 57.54sec.
The Sports School has scheduled a press conference for Friday. - TODAY
On Wednesday, it was reported that the 20-year-old had decided to part ways with Churchill as she needed a new coach to help her make the step up.
But Ken Wood, one of Australia's top coaches who has trained the likes of Olympic champions Leisel Jones and Jessicah Schipper, believes the decision to part could make or break Tao Li.
"It can go two ways. They can give up, or keep going," Wood, 80, told MediaCorp in a phone interview from Australia on Wednesday.
"I don't think it will have any particular effect on her unless she lets it. It's up to the swimmer to adapt to it and move on. If she wants to go to the Olympics badly enough, she can move on without the coach.
"The whole thing really rests with the swimmer."
Churchill, 34, a senior coach at the Singapore Sports School, has guided her since 2006. Tao Li is one of six elite athletes in the government-run Olympic Pathway Programme, which has a war chest of $6.3 million to help them win medals at the 2012 Olympics.
MediaCorp understand that a search is underway to find a replacement for Churchill, and one name being mentioned is John Dempsey, the former coaching director of the now defunct Centre of Excellence, which was closed in mid-2008 after the Singapore Swimming Association decided to decentralise it.
Prior to arriving in Singapore in 2004, Dempsey was a coach at the renowned Redcliffe City High Performance Centre in Queensland, Australia, which is run by Wood.
Dempsey is currently coaching in Hong Kong.
Tao Li, a 100m butterfly finalist at the 2008 Beijing Games, is regarded as one
of Singapore's brightest prospects for the London Olympics.
She announced her arrival on the continent at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, where she clinched gold in the women's 50m fly (26.73sec) and a bronze in the 100m fly (58.96sec).
Two years later, enroute to the Beijing 100m fly final where she finished fifth, Tao Li clocked a then-Asian record of 57.54sec.
The Sports School has scheduled a press conference for Friday. - TODAY
