Dave Malone: How a Paralympic champion has created a winning mentality in the pool

'I was roaring. Normally I don’t but it’s quite emotional; it’s not every day an athlete you work with is in a position to win a Paralympic gold'

Ellen Keane with coach Dave Malone after winning gold at the 2018 European Championships. Picutre: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

Dave Malone was nervous. Once he says goodbye to his athletes, the baton of control solely in their possession, all the Dubliner can do was sit and wait. Or walk. Malone usually chooses to walk.

Back and forth, across the stands at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, he began to pace as he counted down the minutes to the key swimming finals at the Paralympics. On Monday it was the S6 50m butterfly, where his athlete, Nicole Turner, won silver for Ireland. Four days prior it was the SB8 100m breaststroke, where Ellen Keane, who he’s coached since 2013, struck gold.