Brazilian Olympic medalist and national record holder Bruno Fratus announced on Instagram that he will serve as the new Coral Springs Swim Club head coach. His wife and former coach, Michelle Lenhardt, also joined the staff.
“I’m proud to announce that, starting in August 2024, I will be serving as the Head Coach of @coralspringsswimming —the very club that supported me through some of the best years of my athletic career and served as my home in the pursuit of Olympic immortality,” Fratus said in the post.
The three-time Olympian has roots with the Floridian club team, as it was his training base leading up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. Following his 50 freestyle bronze medal in Tokyo, Fratus was awarded the key to the city for Coral Springs.
Fratus continued to train in Coral Springs through the 2024 Olympic quad. However, his training and competing was interrupted by shoulder surgery in 2022. After undergoing another surgery in February, this time on his knee, he announced he would not compete in at the Paris Olympics.
Michelle Lenhardt, Fratus’ wife and fellow Brazilian Olympian, will also join the Coral Springs coaching staff. Lenhardt represented Brazil in several international meets between 2008 and 2011, including as a member of the women’s 4×100 freestyle relay at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She married Fratus in 2014 and joined his coaching team leading up to the 2017 World Championships. She is also a diet and nutrition coach.
Fratus will replace fellow Brazil native Bruno Darzi. Darzi has accepted a position as Associate Head Coach at Boston College under head coach Dara Torres. Torres also used to be a part of Coral Springs Swim Club, where Darzi coached her through her sixth Olympic Trials.
Coral Springs Swim Club offers training groups from beginner to national team. They compete in the Florida Gold Coast LSC, where they recently placed 15th at the LSC’s senior championships.
According to their website, Coral Springs swimmers have represented seven different countries at the Olympics.
So Happy to have them here in our club. My two kids love work with them.
So happy for Bruno!
Is he still going to compete or did he retired following the Paris Olympics?
The goat 👏👏
What kind of gear will he use?