U.S. Paralympics Swimming Announces Eight Assistant Coaches for Paris

U.S. Paralympics Swimming is bringing eight assistant coaches to Paris next month to support new head coach John Payne.

Payne’s staff will feature Chelsea Piers Swim Team head coach James Barone, University of Northern Iowa assistant coach Ben Colin, Milford Athletic Club Masters head coach Kris Goodrich, Carson Tigersharks head coach Julie Hardt, Swim Fort Lauderdale Masters head coach Marty Hendrick, current resident team coach George Leatherman, Nitro Swimming assistant coach Patrick McCloskey, and YMCA of the North Shore Sharks head coach Dave Modzelewski.

Barone is headed to his first Paralympics with his swimmer, Ali Truwit, who broke an American record at Trials last month after losing her foot in a shark attack last year. Colin is also on his way to his first Paralympics with his swimmer, Olivia Chambers, but he gained valuable international coaching experience last summer as an assistant at the 2023 Para World Championships.

Goodrich helped coach the U.S. Para squad at both the Parapan American Games and World Championships last year. McCloskey and Modzelewski also served on the Team USA staff at last year’s Parapan American Games in Santiago, Chile.

Hardt is a former Para Swimming World Series coach who “specializes in creating team cohesion,” according to U.S. Para Swimming. As a swimmer, Hardt won a world title in the women’s 4×200 freestyle relay at the 2001 World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan.

Abbas Karimi, a member of the Refugee Team at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021, has thrived under the tutelage of Hendrick at Swim Fort Lauderdale as he earned his second Paralympic appearance — this time for Team USA — last month.

Leatherman has served on the U.S. Para staff since at least 2022, overseeing training plans in Colorado Springs following the departure of former head coach Nathan Manley for unspecified reasons. Manley recently resurfaced as head coach at Division II Anderson University in South Carolina.

“We selected a diverse coaching staff with a wealth of experience that will partner well with the 33 athletes competing in Paris.  We wanted to bring in a coaching staff who know our swimmers well, and who has proven their dedication to Para swimming in the past quad,” said Erin Popovich, director of U.S. Paralympics Swimming. “These coaches have been outstanding resources for our program in the past three years since Tokyo, and we have no doubt they will help lead our team to a successful Games.”

Last month, U.S. Paralympics Swimming revealed its roster of 33 swimmers — 21 women and 12 men — who will be competing in Paris from August 28 through September 8. Elizabeth Marks and Morgan Stickney clocked world records at Trials while Jessica Long qualified for her team-leading sixth Paralympics.