What a Reaction! Aussie Coach Erupts after Titmus Gold Medal

Dean Boxall was much calmer during the medal ceremony. (Getty Images)
Dean Boxall was much calmer during the medal ceremony. (Getty Images)
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What a Reaction! Aussie Coach Erupts after Titmus Gold Medal

Dean Boxall was much calmer during the medal ceremony. (Getty Images)
Dean Boxall was much calmer during the medal ceremony. (Getty Images)

Ariarne Titmus was thrilled with her victory over Katie Ledecky.

The Terminator’s coach was even more excited.

In the stands at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, Dean Boxall yanked off his mandatory mask, let out a scream that echoed through the largely empty arena, pumped his fists, and thrust his hips in moves reminiscent of Mick Jagger. He grabbed at a glass railing like he wanted to rip it apart.

Boxall’s emotional display became an instant hit on social media, where one admirer tweeted it was “the best reaction of all time.” The Australian Olympic team tweeted a GIF that said the coach’s reaction “sums it up perfectly.”

“I’ve seen little snippets of it. That’s just like Dean. He’s very passionate ... he becomes very animated,” Titmus said. “I think that this is just as much for him as it is for me. He’s sacrificed a lot of his family life, his kids, his wife and his job. He puts 100% into being a swimming coach and I would not be here without him.”

Titmus, who has been nicknamed the “Terminator,” handed Ledecky her first Olympic loss in an individual race by rallying over the final two laps to win the 400-meter freestyle Monday.

Boxall was more reserved during the medal ceremony, breaking down in tears as Titmus received her gold.

“He was crying and I was trying to contain the emotions,” she said, “but it’s good to see how much it means to him too.”



US Moves to Protect All Species of Pangolin, World’s Most Trafficked Mammal

A Malaysian pangolin walks past cages containing 45 others as a wildlife officer watches in Kuala Lumpur August 8, 2002. (Reuters)
A Malaysian pangolin walks past cages containing 45 others as a wildlife officer watches in Kuala Lumpur August 8, 2002. (Reuters)
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US Moves to Protect All Species of Pangolin, World’s Most Trafficked Mammal

A Malaysian pangolin walks past cages containing 45 others as a wildlife officer watches in Kuala Lumpur August 8, 2002. (Reuters)
A Malaysian pangolin walks past cages containing 45 others as a wildlife officer watches in Kuala Lumpur August 8, 2002. (Reuters)

The United States on Monday moved to extend federal protections to all species of pangolins -- a step that would tighten trade restrictions and highlight the urgent conservation plight of the world's only scaly mammals.

Found in the forests, woodlands, and savannas of Africa and Asia, pangolins are small, nocturnal creatures known for their distinctive appearance, slow and peaceful demeanor, and habit of curling into a ball when threatened.

Often likened to a walking pinecone, they use long, sticky tongues to feast on ants and termites, give birth to a single pup each year -- and are the most heavily trafficked mammals on Earth. Their keratin scales are coveted in traditional medicine, and their meat is also considered a delicacy in some regions.

Despite steep population declines driven by poaching, habitat loss, and inbreeding, only one species -- Temminck's pangolin of Africa -- is currently protected under the US Endangered Species Act. Monday's proposal by the US Fish and Wildlife Service would extend that status to all eight known species.

In a statement, the agency said it intends to list the four Asian species -- Chinese, Indian, Sunda, and Philippine -- as well as the three other African species: white-bellied, black-bellied, and giant pangolins.

"I'm delighted the United States is doing its part to save these adorably odd creatures," said Sarah Uhlemann, international program director at the Center for Biological Diversity.

"Pangolins are on the razor's edge of extinction, and we need to completely shut down any US market for their scales. There's no good reason for anybody to ingest any part of a pangolin."

Pangolins are currently protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which prohibits international trade for commercial purposes and allows it only under exceptional circumstances.

Still, the illegal trade persists.

In April, Nigerian authorities seized nearly four tons of trafficked pangolin scales, representing the slaughter of some 2,000 animals. In November 2024, Indonesian officials intercepted another 1.2 tons.

US demand remains a factor. Between 2016 and 2020, border officials intercepted 76 shipments of pangolin parts, including scales and products marketed for traditional medicine, according to public data.