Inside with Brett Hawke

#011 James Gibson

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Olympic swimmer turned coach, James Gibson packed up and flew to Turkey to serve as the head coach of a Russian club in 2016; betting it all on a vision of a world class competitive team and the future of the ISL. 

Today, that club is better known as Energy Standard and they’ve recently claimed the first ever International Swimming League championship title. 

Listen in as James talks about his career in coaching and his decision to coach for the ISL. He shares some of the challenges he’s faced along the way and what has made it all worth it. Learn how he balances his time and efforts in coaching for the Olympics and the ISL as he shares his experiences working with world class athletes like Sarah Sjostrom and Flo Manaudou. 

“I still pinch myself a little bit that ISL has happened and gone already, season one… it happened so quickly and it just felt right.” -James Gibson [36:18]

Key Takeaways:
  • Why James Gibson decided to work with the ISL.
  • How his top athletes work towards their personal goals.
  • His plans for the future with the ISL.
    • Episode Timeline:
    • [00:02] Intro
    • [00:32] James Gibson on pushing the boundaries on sprinting
    • [02:21] What is a professional swimmer?
    • [03:20] Energy Standard winning the ISL championships
    • [04:26] How James Gibson fell into coaching
    • [06:41] His subsequent coaching timeline 
    • [08:46] His work with Flo Manaudou
    • [13:04] Advice Brett once gave Cesar Cielo
    • [14:28] James Gibson’s 
    • [15:27] Stroke changes to Flo's routine inspired by Freddie Bousquet
    • [18:28] What James Gibson is saying to his athletes 
    • [21:15] Olympic favorites and what makes them special
    • [21:38] Sarah Sjostrom's drive & resilience
    • [25:33] Chad Le Clos's passion & transition
    • [27:34] Brett on working with Cesar Cielo and Fred Bousquet
    • [28:52] James Gibson’s work with Ben Proud and Flo Manaudou
    • [31:22] Giving equal effort to all athletes
    • [33:02] Life and training in Turkey
    • [34:05] Is Energy Standard Paris moving?
    • [35:00] Choosing to work for the ISL
    • [38:15] Focusing on the Olympics and the ISL at the same time
    • [40:59] Outro
      • Connect:

      Find | Brett Hawke

      At fitterandfaster.com

      On Instagram @hawkebr

      Find | James Gibson

      At eliteteamenergystandard.org

      On Instagram: @_jamesgibson_

      On Twitter: @jamesgibsongbr

      Subscribe & Listen:

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      Produced by:

      SWIMNERD

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      Inside with Brett HawkeBy Brett Hawke
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