Olympic gold medallist splits with coach as drama boils over before Commonwealth Games
Olympic gold medalist Zac Stubblety-Cook and his Australian representative girlfriend Ella Ramsay have made a sudden and shocking exit from their Gold Coast training base following a dramatic split with respected swimming coach Mel Marshall.
Swimming Australia is managing a delicate situation involving one of its most high-profile athletes ahead of this year’s Commonwealth Games and an awkward situation remains ahead of trials in Sydney in early June.
Stubblety-Cook, who won the gold medal in the men’s 200-meter breaststroke at the Tokyo Olympics, and British coach Marshall, who coached Adam Peaty to two gold medals and a silver medal in the individual Olympic breaststroke competitions, have been at odds for a while. The dispute centers on conflicting philosophies about how some elements of the Griffith University Swimming Club program should be run.
A wider concern for Swimming Australia is the growing list of elite swimmers leaving Marshall’s squad since his arrival in early 2025. Olympians Kaylee McKeown and Lani Pallister split last year and Stubblety-Cook and Ramsay are the latest to leave in what is a worrying situation for the governing body.
Marshall was recruited from the UK to lead the Gold Coast programme, with a particular focus on mentoring Stubblety-Cook, who moved from Brisbane early last year to train under one of the sport’s most respected coaches.
But this imprint may reveal that the situation has deteriorated to the point of no return following the meeting between Stubblety-Cook and Marshall after last week’s Australian Open in Queensland. By Wednesday evening, Stubblety-Cook and Ramsay, an Olympic silver medalist as a relay swimmer at Paris 2024, had moved to Victoria.
Sources who spoke on condition of anonymity said it was no secret in swimming circles that Stubblety-Cook and Marshall were not on good terms and could not resolve their differences.
Stubblety-Cook and Ramsay, who hope to compete at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, have since tentatively linked up with the Nunawading Swimming Club in Melbourne, with financial help from the Queensland Academy of Sports to facilitate the sudden move. Where they will end up is not yet known.
Swimming Australia did not address why the pair left the programme, but did provide a brief statement on this byline. Marshall declined to comment following a request made through Swimming Australia.
“Griffith University Swimming Club is currently implementing realignments ahead of the green and gold courses towards LA 2028 and Brisbane 2032,” the Australian Swimming Statement said. The statement was included.
“This realignment has resulted in Zac Stubblety-Cook and Ella Ramsay leaving Swimming Australia’s Griffith University high performance center and they are currently training at Nunawading’s performance programme.”
Dolphins coach Rohan Taylor said in a statement: “There are many high-performance environments across the country, and we encourage our athletes to find the right environment for them,” Taylor said.
“We also support our HPEs like Griffith University and their world-renowned head coach Mel Marshall in shaping this environment.”
In January last year Marshall spoke optimistically about the chance to work with former world record holder Stubblety-Cook.
“I’m here to coach Australia and make sure we create an environment that allows Australians to truly succeed,” Marshall said. “I am excited to work with Zac as a partnership on this journey over the next four years.”
But questions about Griffith’s setup have persisted for some time. In April last year, five-time Olympic gold medalist McKeown announced his departure, citing his desire to return to the Sunshine Coast since his regular coach Michael Bohl is leaving Griffith University at the end of 2024.
While McKeown later said he would return with coach Michael Sage, he said, “I couldn’t be more thankful to be back with the people I know.” “The environment here is more like me.”
Then last year Pallister was replaced by Dean Boxall at St Peter’s Western, leaving his program without its top two female swimmers when Marshall joined. Pallister won a stunning silver medal in the 800-meter freestyle at last year’s world championships, nearly beating US great Katie Ledecky.
“Dean made me believe in myself like never before,” Pallister said of the move.
If Marshall is chosen as the coach of the Australian team, it may be difficult for Stubblety-Cook and Ramsay to be in the Dolphins squad.
Stubblety-Cook and Ramsay will compete in Australia’s swimming trials from June 8-13, which will serve as tryouts for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the Pan Pacific Championships in California later this year.
Tom Decent is chief sports writer for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect with: X or email.
