This case study examines the personal experiences of an elite athlete, coach, and sport psychology consultant (SPC) during the athlete’s preparation and performance in a recent Olympic Games. The qualitative research details how the consultancy process was affected by the athlete’s late admission of the deteriorating relationship with his coach. The concepts of closeness, commitment, complementarity, and co-orientation provided a theoretical perspective to the SPC’s interpretation of athlete performance and the interpersonal conflict that developed between athlete and coach. The basic performance demand model provided an applied perspective. The SPC’s commentary adopts a reflexive discursive style that also focuses on the SPC’s role in the consultancy process and the effectiveness of the performance demand model materials. Five important recommendations arise from the case study, and these might inform other SPCs’ future athlete–coach consultancies and interventions.

本案例研究考察了精英运动员，教练和运动心理学顾问（SPC）在运动员准备和参加最近的奥运会期间的个人经历。定性研究详细介绍了咨询过程如何受到运动员迟交与教练关系恶化的影响。亲密，承诺，互补和共同定位的概念为SPC对运动员表现以及运动员与教练之间发展的人际冲突的解释提供了理论视角。基本性能需求模型提供了应用前景。SPC的评论采用反思性话语风格，该风格还着重于SPC在咨询过程中的作用以及绩效需求模型材料的有效性。