With several Georgia Tech Olympic hopefuls competing in the preliminaries and several of them earning Olympic berths, the highly decorated head coach is beaming with pride and gratitude.
ATLANTA — As the 2024 Paris Olympics draws closer, Georgia Tech's highly decorated head coach is beaming with gratitude as he coaches his players with Olympic hopes.
Head coach Courtney Seely Hart is a two-time Olympic swimming gold medalist and former SEC and NCAA champion at the University of Georgia, where she broke numerous records. Hart has been the Olympic coach at Georgia Tech for 15 years.
“I'm so grateful every day I come here, I'm so grateful to be here, to be able to coach these players, to be here in this venue. This is a really special place and it puts a smile on my face every time I come here,” she said. “For me, it's 100 percent the best feeling seeing the players achieve their goals and their dreams. They set goals, we work towards them and then when they actually achieve them it's just an amazing feeling.”
She spoke with 11Alive's Cheryl Preheim, during which she reflected on the many Olympic hopefuls that have come off the team.
“We're a lot like Georgia Tech; we're a very culturally diverse university, so our team is a lot like that and it's fun to bring unique perspectives from all over the world and help each other do our best,” Hart added.
The head coach said the sport has evolved since his Olympic days and the way he coaches athletes has changed, adding that he didn't discuss much about mental preparation or nutrition when he was competing.
She also said social media has created a new level of challenges because there are so many more people criticising athletes than when she played sports.
She reflected on how much swimming has changed since her Olympic days, but added that the allure of the sport at the Olympics will remain forever.
“It's the highest level of competition in all of sports and it's just an amazing event with all the countries coming together and competing to represent their countries,” she said.
Hart shared one of his favorite experiences while competing in the world's most prestigious tournament.
“The first night I swam with Amy Van Dyk, Jenny Thompson and Dara Torres and we broke the world record, which was really awesome. Then, because it was the first week, after the swim I got to go and watch some other sports. It was really awesome to be here with Team USA. I really enjoyed the other sports,” she said.
The head coach added that as the roster grows, his goal when he first came on board was to “contribute to the improvement of the program,” and that this is a “full circle” moment.
“Seeing the dedication, hard work and dedication of the players as they strive to achieve their dreams and knowing that I can help in even a small way is something I will never forget,” she concluded.
