Emotional Turmoil as Olympic Gold Medallist Zac Stubblety-Cook and Girlfriend Ella Ramsay Depart Leading Coach’s Team

A dispute with renowned coach Mel Marshall has prompted Olympic gold medallist Zac Stubblety-Cook and his fellow aquatic athlete girlfriend Ella Ramsay to depart from their training base on the Gold Coast.

Stubblety-Cook, who clinched gold in the men’s 200m breaststroke at the Tokyo Olympics, has been at odds with Marshall for a considerable period due to differing views on how aspects of the Griffith University Swim Club program should be managed, as reported by The Sydney Morning Herald.

He joins a growing list of elite swimmers who have left Marshall’s squad since she took the reins of the Gold Coast program in early 2025 after moving from the UK.

Marshall’s arrival was intended to specifically mentor Stubblety-Cook, who made the move from Brisbane in early 2022.

The couple has since joined the Nunawading Swimming Club in Melbourne temporarily, with financial support from the Queensland Academy of Sport.

Swimming Australia issued a brief statement regarding their departure but did not elaborate on the specific reasons.

“The Griffith University Swim Club is currently undergoing a realignment in preparation for the green and gold pathway leading to LA 2028 and Brisbane 2032,” the statement from Swimming Australia read.

“As part of this realignment, Zac Stubblety-Cook and Ella Ramsay have moved away from Swimming Australia’s high-performance hub at Griffith University and are now training within Nunawading’s performance programme.”

Coach Rohan Taylor of the Dolphins noted: “There are various high-performance environments across the nation, and we encourage our athletes to seek out the setting that best suits them.” He added, “Moreover, we fully support our High-Performance Environments, like Griffith University, and their globally recognised head coach Mel Marshall in shaping that environment.”

Stubblety-Cook and Ramsay are set to compete in Australia’s swimming trials from June 8 to 13, which will determine selections for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the Pan Pacific Championships in California later this year.