Dramas as OIympic gold medallist Zac Stubblety-Cook, girlfriend Ella Ramsay quit top coach's squad
A falling out with respected swimming coach Mel Marshall has led to Olympic gold medallist Zac Stubblety-Cook and his Australian representative girlfriend Ella Ramsay to leave their Gold Coast training base.
Stubblety-Cook, who won gold in the men's 200m breaststroke at the Tokyo Olympics, had reportedly been clashing with Marshall for some time, with differing philosophies about how elements of the Griffith University Swim Club program should operate, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.
Stubblety-Cook joins other elite swimmers to have left Marshall's squad since her arrival in early 2025 from the UK to lead the Gold Coast program.
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Her addition had specific focus on mentoring Stubblety-Cook, who relocated from Brisbane early last year.
Stubblety-Cook won gold in Tokyo. Getty
Stubblety-Cook and Ramsay have since linked up with the Nunawading Swimming Club in Melbourne on an interim basis with financial assistance provided by the Queensland Academy of Sport.
Swimming Australia provided a short statement but did not elaborate on the decision behind the move.
"Griffith University Swim Club is currently implementing a realignment ahead of the green and gold runway into LA 2028 and Brisbane 2032," the Swimming Australia statement read.
"This realignment has seen Zac Stubblety-Cook and Ella Ramsay depart Swimming Australia's Griffith University's high-performance hub and they are now training at Nunawading's performance program."
Ella Ramsay, second from left, has also quit the Brisbane based squad. Getty
Dolphins coach Rohan Taylor said in a statement: "There are multiple high-performance environments throughout the country and we encourage our athletes to find the right environment that suits them," Taylor said.
"Additionally, we support our HPEs, like Griffith University and their globally recognised head coach Mel Marshall shaping that environment."
Stubblety-Cook and Ramsay will compete at Australia's swimming trials from June 8 to 13, which serve as selection for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and Pan Pacific Championships in California later this year.