With a name line Finwell Kirwan, you might expect a lean Irishman with a slick line in sales talk.

And that’s exactly what he is, although he’s rather more than a salesman. Kirwan is the head of high performance for the US Olympic Committee. He wasn’t hawking any wares in Cape Town this week, but he was talking about excellence within the US Olympic team which won a staggering 121 medals at the Rio Games.

He is, in local parlance, a meneer. Kirwan was in town to address an elite sport summit, an event both invigorating and depressing; invigorating because the range of international speakers was so inspiring, depressing because it confirmed how SA sport still resides largely in the backwaters.

The softly-spoken Irishman spoke about swimming, which was a smart choice. The Americans won 33 medals in the Rio pool – the most in the modern Olympic era – which was one more than athletics.

In 1988 the Americans claimed 18 swimming medals at the Games. “It was a disaster,” said Kirwan, unwittingly affirming the US’s extraordinary high standards.

This failure set them on the path to renewal, a transformation guided by three pillars: strong leadership, a defined culture and a deep commitment to doing business the right way.

Kirwan wasn’t near the system then, but he’s since learned about the methods and changes that helped make US swimming so dominant. He’s also had enough conversations with Michael Phelps to know how well the system has met the needs of the greatest Olympian in history.

Until four years ago, Kirwan was employed by the Irish Olympic Council. He thus knows what it’s like to work for a government-funded entity, the position SA Olympic sport finds itself in.

The US Olympic Committee is commercially run, however, with no government funding or involvement, much less interference.

“I’ve been on both sides,” he says. “It’s apolitical in the US, which is refreshing. Performance by committee is a major mistake. We just get on with it.”

Kirwan has an annual budget of R750-million, the sort of money SA sport can only dream about. He stretches it far more than he ever could in a set-up in Ireland or South Africa where resource allocation is dictated by men in suits.

He spoke to a wide range of figureheads in American swimming, among them Phelps, his coach Bob Bowman and Chuck Wielgus, the head of US swimming, to identify the chief themes that have enabled American swimming to become a benchmark for excellence.

They came up with a fascinating list that included an honour code, a service mentality and deep trust in the individual and the team environment.

“It’s a lot easier to build an empire with a team than one person,” Phelps told him.

These qualities also define a great team like the All Blacks, which proves that principles of excellence are shared across sports. Interestingly, Kirwan touched on the Ryan Lochte fiasco that betrayed the team ethic in Rio. Proof of the fragility of such a code was evident closer to home this week as Aaron Smith found himself in disgrace. The players themselves excommunicated him, underlining the powerful team-over-individual dynamic.

Ego suppression is a big deal in American swimming where coaches, support staff and swimmers must genuflect to the team ideal.

Kirwan constantly reminds the staff under his watch that they will not receive a medal. “That is important, and humbling. The focus is on the athlete and nothing else.”

Much else contributes to the success of US swimming. Talent identification is outstanding, the pipeline boosted by the sleek collegiate sports system. “Athletes know the system, which is designed to support them,” says Kirwan.

Listening to him talk about the quality of the American system is to be reminded of the paucity of critical thinking in our sport. The systems are clogged, politics muddies the waters and performance is often achieved despite the authorities rather than because of them.

The miracle is that we produce Olympic champions at all. A straight-up comparison with America isn’t apt, but the pillars that shape their excellence, and the chase to optimise performance, can be mimicked.

Kirwan’s message was a stark reminder that until we kick self-interest to the kerb and allow our athletes to thrive, we’ll always be chasing shadows. – © Sunday Tribune