As a young girl, Madeline ‘Maddie’ Groves was told ‘if you work hard and you dream it; then you can do it’.
Last week, that dream came true.
The Bond University student put in a stunning performance in the pool at the Rio Olympics, claiming silver in the 200 metre butterfly and earning the title of Australia’s next ‘Madame Butterfly’.
The 21-year-old finished just 0.03 seconds shy of race winner, Mireia Belmonte from Spain.
It has been a whirlwind two years for Maddie, who made her Olympic debut at Rio on the back of taking home bronze in the same event at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014.
She is a three time Australian National Champion in the 200 metre butterfly and claimed the title of Bond University’s 2015 Sportsperson of the Year.
But, like so many young Australians, the opportunity to compete on the world stage at the Olympics was always the childhood dream.
“It wasn’t until the last few years training alongside swimmers who had competed at London and Beijing , and doing the same work they were doing, that I believed being an Olympic swimmer was actually a realistic dream for me,” said Maddie.
“There are so many people in swimming I look up to including many of my Australian Dolphins teammates, not just for their hard work and performance, but for how they act and treat people both in and out of the pool.
“My swimming heroes are butterfly champions like Susie O’Neill, Petria Thomas and Jessica Schipper, who are not just incredible athletes, but I really admire what they’ve achieved with their careers.”
In the lead-up to Rio, Maddie trained hard with veteran Olympic Swim Coach, Michael Bohl of St Peters Western Swim Club in Brisbane. Her weekly training schedule included 10 swimming sessions, two to three gym sessions and two pilates classes, in addition to some altitude bike training the squad had taken on to up the ante for the Games.
“I first saw Maddie’s Olympic potential at about 14 years of age when she was swimming, and winning, at the Australian Age Group Championships. To see her in the heat of the battle and come out victorious meant I knew she could perform well under pressure,” said Bohl, who has coached Maddie for the last five years.
“The best athletes have got that great blend of speed and endurance and I think Maddie is one of those swimmers.
“In the pool Maddie is a great competitor, she’s got great technique – which is a big advantage – and she just knows how to pace her race really well.
“However, her greatest attribute is probably her courage. She doesn’t flinch when it comes to racing and she’s a great competitor.”
Maddie has taken time off from her study to concentrate on realising her Olympic dream, but is looking forward to getting back to the books at Bond University later this year.
As a recipient of Bond’s 2015 Georgina Hope Rinehart Swimming Excellence Scholarship and a Bond Elite Sports Program (BESP) athlete, she has been able to juggle her Social Sciences degree with pursuing her ambitions in the pool.
“For me, going to university is another outlet,” said Maddie.
“It’s great to have something else to focus on outside of swimming and there’s so much to immerse yourself in and so much to do at Bond, I just really enjoy it.
“I’m looking forward to going back to study next semester and challenging myself in a different area. It can be frustrating having to take time off study, but going to the Olympics is a pretty good excuse!”
