Swimming’s 2020 vision for Head Coach Jacco Verhaeren
Swimming Australia, December 17, 2015: Swimming Australia has today announced the extension of National Head Coach Jacco Verhaeren’s contract through until the end of the next Olympic cycle in 2020.
Under Verhaeren’s guidance the Australian Dolphins Swim Team has produced outstanding results at the 2014 Commonwealth Games; the 2014 FINA World Short Course Championships; the 2014 Hancock Prospecting Pan Pacific Championships; the 2015 FINA World Championships in Kazan and just recently the 2015 Hancock Prospecting Australian Short Course Championships where Australian swimmers set new individual world records for the first time since 2009.
This year’s FINA World Championships saw the Dolphins finish with seven gold, three silver and six bronze medals to finish second to the USA on the gold medal tally by just one gold, 12 months out from the Rio Olympics.
Dolphins finish Kazan with a bang
Swimming Australia CEO Mark Anderson said the decision to extend the contract recognised the significant cultural fit that Jacco had within both the team and the Australia’s high performance swimming network.
“On making the appointment in 2013 we were all confident that Jacco would add a lot of value to our Australian Dolphins Swim Team and our high performance unit, and he has absolutely delivered on these expectations over the past two years.
Jacco’s vision has been embraced by our coaches, athletes and staff. He has a style that brings people along with him on the journey. We believe that there is much more that we wish to achieve and that Jacco is the individual to lead that process in his role as National Head Coach,” Anderson stated.
“The results on the international stage, along with the cultural changes, including the establishment of shared team values and a visionary leadership group, are evidence that the team is progressing and moving in the right direction for Rio and beyond.
Jacco’s role combined with the expertise and contribution of the management team headed up by the General Manager, Wayne Lomas have created a united team and a high performance culture both in and out of the pool,” Anderson said.
Swimming Australia President John Bertrand said that Verhaeren’s knowledge and experience are invaluable to the Australian team.
“On behalf of the board we are absolutely delighted with the way Jacco has worked with the swimmers, coaches and staff. It is clear in Jacco we have a Head Coach who is respected and knowledgeable and will complement and strengthen the direction of the Dolphins,” Bertrand said.
“I am looking forward to seeing the momentum he has built continue as we approach Rio and then through to 2020. Within Swimming Australia, our aspirational vision is world best practice in everything we do. Jacco is absolutely key in this exciting journey."
With vast Olympic experience, having coached at the last five Olympic Games and a total of nine World Championships, as well as experience as a Technical Director at the Dutch Swimming Federation, Verhaeren has a wide range of skills and experiences that are of great value to the Australian team.
“In Australia I am very fortunate to be able to work with some of the best coaches and swimmers in the world, to be given the opportunity to extend my work with the team is a great honour. I want to challenge and inspire our team to achieve its goals, both short and long term,” Verhaeren said.
“After working with the team for almost two years now I am excited with the prospects of the future and how I can continue to support the development of coaches, staff, athletes and the high performance system to stay or become world class, respected both in and out of the pool.”
“On a personal note I can say that I am humbled by this opportunity offered by Swimming Australia well before the conclusion of this Olympic cycle. And my family, who are really enjoying this adventure as well, is also very happy to be able to extend our stay in Australia.”
Verhaeren’s next international assignment will be the Perth Aquatic Super Series when the Dolphins take on China and Japan on February 5 and 6 at the HBF Stadium in the lead up to the Hancock Prospecting Australian Championships, which will double as the Olympic Team Selection Trials at the South Australian Aquatic and Leisure Centre from April 7-14, 2015.
The contract extension will see Verhaeren in charge of the Dolphins for the 2017 FINA World Championships in Budapest; the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast and Pan Pacs in Tokyo, the 2019 FINA World Championships in South Korea and the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Issued on behalf of Swimming Australia by
Ian Hanson| Media Manager
Ian Hanson| Media Manager Triathlon Australia Managing Director
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