The moment you walk into the Global Martial Arts gym in western Sydney, Australia, youre greeted by London 2012 memorabilia and a wall that reads Home of the Olympians.The gym is full of kids this particular Tuesday night, boys and girls of all ages unleashing fly kicks with the obligatory sound effects before they fall to a hush and hang on every word of Master Ali.Among them is Australian taekwondo competitor Safwan Khalil. Just a handful of weeks out from the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Khalil could be tucked away in his own special corner with an entire training entourage tracking his every kick, punch and block. Yet here he is, mentoring taekwondos next generation.I love it. I love being around, I love being able to give back, Khalil, 30, tells ESPN. Ive been in this sport for a long time, and hopefully after the Olympic Games I can come away with a good result, or regardless, if I dont, I still want to come back and give back.You came in and you saw only the older kids, but there are so many young ones here training who want to be Olympians and aspire to be so much better than what they are now. I just love giving back to them, the young ones and the older ones; its a really good feeling.Khalils Olympic story doesnt subscribe to the typical Australian narrative. He came away from the 2012 London Olympic Games in fourth place after a disappointing bronze-medal match, but the depth of his disappointment is probably lost on everyone but his family and those who come to sweat it out at his Hoxton Park training facility in western Sydney.Thats just the way he likes it, and its really the only support hes ever known. Little wonder, too, since his childhood years were spent adjusting to life in Australia after his family fled Lebanon amid the countrys instability.[It was] extremely tough, Khalil says. As I get older now I do like to find about our history with the family. And my mum, you know she tears up every time she tells me the story because my dad actually ran off without us at the start to actually build up some money.So we were actually all alone while my mum was pregnant with me; my father was actually here in Australia trying to build some money and establish himself here and my mum was alone [in Lebanon] with the three kids about to give birth to me.I remember my mum telling me, my uncle actually called my father and said, You need to get your kids out of here, its crazy, and he could hear gunshots and so on happening. So you know he had to scrape every piece of coin he could get together and get us out and, yeah, it was a really, really horrific moment of our life.There were no gunshots whizzing in Sydney, but Khalil, his parents, five brothers and one sister still endured some hairy moments.My brother actually burned our house down, Khalil says.I remember it like it was yesterday. I was on my little pink bike riding up and down the street and I remember riding and stopping in front of the house and a blaze going through the window, my sister running into the house. She says she slapped him and ran him out of the house because he lit the couch on fire with a lighter; and if you meet Sami [Samir] and you get to know his character you would be like, yeah, he would light anything on fire, its the way he is.My mum was out shopping on a bus because she didnt have a [drivers] licence, and [she] got off the bus and her house was literally on the ground.The Khalil brothers played all kinds of sports. But eventually the sibling rivalry reached a tipping point, and tired of her sons fly kicks from the family lounge, Khalils mother pointed her brood in the direction of the nearest gym.We grew up playing [rugby] league in the front yard, backyard cricket, and [then] taekwondo came about.You know, we grew up watching a lot of Jackie Chan, [Jean-Claude] Van Damme [movies] and all this sort of stuff, and my mum got sick of us bashing each other around the house; thats all we did. We were doing fly kicks off the couch and she was fed up. My dad was working 16-hour days and my mum was trying to balance cooking, cleaning, the boys.So she found the nearest taekwondo school and said, Go bash some other kids, and we did. We went into our first competition and got to punch on with other kids, and we werent getting in trouble for it and I was in love. And ever since then I just havent looked back.These days, Khalil continues to punch on with one of his brothers -- Master Ali. Ali Khalil, 33, is known as Master Ali Khalil in a taekwondo environment. The duo travelled together to London as part of Australias taekwondo team, and will do the same thing in Rio.Ali has been by Safwans side throughout his taekwondo journey, making technique adjustments here and offering words of encouragement there. Its an athlete-coach relationship seldom found these days, yet it seems to work perfectly for the Khalil brothers -- the odd stern discussion aside.Its tough at times, Safwan tells ESPN of his unique training setup.Hes my older brother and Ive got all the respect for him, and as weve grown up, anything hes told me to do ... Ive bowed my head and I know Ill do it. But sometimes we disagree on things and we absolutely lose our [temper], especially during [the Islamic fast] Ramadan.Theres times when were both hungry, edgy [during Ramadan], and hell tell me something and Im like, No, I dont want to do it. But were that close and that strong that anything that happens in our relationship, give it 20 minutes and were back the way we were half-an-hour ago.Its got its blessings in a way because we get to work for each other, because anything he tells me to do is absolutely in my best interest and he knows me like a book. And I know everything he does for me is 100 percent for me and I trust him 100 percent, so its fantastic and I love it. Weve had to work at it a lot of the time, but now that were getting older and a lot more mature its easier for us.The extent of this family affair really hits home when you consider that Safwans partner, Carmen Marton, is one of Australias female taekwondo competitors in Rio.Khalil describes Marton as the strongest woman you will ever meet and says there is more than just a friendly rivalry between them even though they are 100 percent behind each other in their pursuit of gold.Motivated by a desire to right his London competition attitude that Khalil says resembled a sulking baby, there will be no sightseeing in Rio; nor will he be chasing Usain Bolt through the Olympic Village -- as he did in 2012.I think my priorities are a lot more set now, and I know what direction Im going in when I walk into Rio, he says.I walked into London this wide-eyed younger man just wanting to soak in the experience, rather than just focusing on what I need to do two minutes at a time. So Im definitely a lot wiser and just a lot more relaxed going into this competition.Whether or not those four years of added wisdom help push Khalil to a gold medal, its impossible not to admire his sporting journey.Taekwondo may be as far from the mainstream Australian sporting psyche as you can get, yet its little wonder, given the way Khalil talks about one-on-one combat, that his infectious attitude has rubbed off on a small but determined group of kids on a Tuesday night at Global Martial Arts. Its almost as if theyre one big family. Having spent a few minutes getting to know Khalil, that in no way is a surprise. Air Max 1 Online Australia . The nimble-footed quarterback got his wish, dashing through the snow and a weary defence all the way into the NCAA record book. Cheap Air Max 1 Australia . It might not have mattered. While the Dodgers are preparing for the playoffs, the Padres showed their future has promise behind two rookies. http://www.airmax1australia.com/ .R. 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ATLANTA -- Nick Saban rolled into the room with all the warmth of a tray of ice cubes you just pulled from the freezer.The pursed lips, the tightened jaw, the forced smile -- tell-tale signs that made it clear he preferred to be anywhere but here, sitting in front of a group of reporters on the eve of another Southeastern Conference championship game.Then, over the course of a half-hour Friday, the coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide provided some tantalizing glimpses into the World According To Nick.A world where failure is not an option, complacency is treated like some sort of horrific disease, and no one talks about what they did a year ago, a day ago, even a few minutes ago.Be where your feet are, Saban said. Im right here, right now. This is whats important, and this is what we have to focus on.To some degree, all coaches have that sort of single-minded drive. But Saban takes it to an entirely different level. Thats why hes left everyone in his wake, from those who came long before (sorry, Knute Rockne and Bud Wilkinson) to contemporaries faced with the unenviable task of trying to beat him now (sorry, rest of the SEC).This much is clear: As along as Saban reigns in Tuscaloosa, college football is his world.Everyone else is just fighting over the crumbs.I hate to lose more than I like winning, Saban said. Im not in love with what we did last week or the week before that or the whole season. The challenge is the next game because thats the game we can lose.It seems a joyless existence, but its one that makes perfect sense to Saban.Dont bring up the crazy, amazing run -- as former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow described it -- that Alabama has been on since the beginning of the 2008 season. During that span, the Crimson Tide has won 110 of 122 games, captured four national titles and gone to the last week of November four other times with a shot at winning it all.Dont bring up the fact that Saban has five national titles overall, counting the BCS crown he won at LSU, and is just one away from tying Bear Bryants mark for the most national titles by any coach.I havent thought about it. Im not thinking about it, Saban insisted. Im focusing on what can I do for our players so we have a chance to win the SEC championship.Top-ranked Alabama (12-0) shouldnt have any trouble with this game, going in as a whopping 24-point favorite over No. 15 Florida (8-3). The Gators are a team with all sorts of offensive limitations, which doesnt bode well against Sabans latest stellar defense, a group that hasnt given up a touchdown since October. After this little formality in Atlanta, its on to the College Football Playoff for a shot at a second straight national title and fifth in the last nine seasons.By any objecctive standard, Sabans tenure at Alabama makes him the greatest coach in college football history.dddddddddddd This nearly decade-long run is almost beyond belief in what should be an era of enhanced parity, when there are plenty of schools that can match Alabamas resources but dont have the right guy at the top.Florida coach Jim McElwain got a firsthand look at Sabans genius while serving as his offensive coordinator.Alabamas success goes far beyond the Xs and Os.I was able to see a commitment and understanding of the organization and what it takes on a daily basis to help yourself have the opportunity to be successful, McElwain said. Its about being in the line. Everythings got to be in alignment. Everythings got to be aligned. Thats one thing he was ahead of his time as far as making sure everybody was aligned. It was a fascinating working experience.In some ways, Sabans dominance may be hurting the reputation of the SEC, long regarded as the nations best football conference. Everyone is playing catch-up, which has led to some hasty coaching changes and an air of desperation among the other 13 schools.In the long run, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey believes it will have a positive impact.Around this league, there are coaches trying to figure out how to beat Alabama, he said. When a team is ranked first and has had the sustained success, I think that effort makes everyone better. I would use the phrase you often hear, `a rising tide lifts all boats.Sankey quickly caught himself.I want to be careful about using the word `tide, he said with a smile, but I think you understand.Actually, the only thing we can see is Alabama ruling the SEC as long as Saban is around. At 65, hes certainly got more seasons behind him than in front of him, which provides a glimmer of hope to the rest of the league.We all have fears sometimes, he said, revealing a bit of vulnerability. When you start getting up there, you say, `I wonder how long Im going to be able to do this?Then, just like that, he got back on point.There are no plans to ease into retirement.Not anytime soon.I love coaching, Saban said. Im going to do it as long as I feel like I can do a good job of it, and Im healthy enough to do it. Thats always been what Ive wanted to do, and as long as I can keep doing it, Ill be happy doing it.Sorry, everybody else.---Paul Newberry is a sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at pnewberry(at)ap.org or at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry .---For more AP college football coverage: www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '