Swimming Australia is pleased to announce that Yuriy Vdovychenko will take up the new position of Paralympic Coach at the National Training Centre (NTC) in Canberra.
Appointed in conjunction with the Australian Paralympic Committee, Vdovychenko has a Master’s Degree in Coaching and Sports Administration and has previously held positions as the Head Coach of the Ukrainian Paralympic Swim Team and as a Project Development Coordinator at the Australian Paralympic Committee (APC).
APC CEO Jason Hellwig congratulated Swimming Australia on making the appointment and said Vdovychenko is the ideal coach to lead the Paralympic program at the NTC.
“Yuriy has an unbelievable technical knowledge and understanding of Paralympic swimming. He will bring an immense amount of experience to his new role and an unwavering desire to get the best out of everyone he works with.”
“The APC knows how good Yuriy is as a coach, and I have no doubt that he will soon become more widely regarded as one of the best Paralympic swimming coaches in the world.”
Swimming Australia CEO Mark Anderson said following the success of the Australian Paralympic Swim Team in London and Montreal, Vdovychenko’s appointment is another positive step on the journey towards Rio and beyond.
“The Australian Paralympic Swim Team has established themselves as one of the best in the world, and by appointing Yuriy our aim is to continue to raise the competition standard and maintain our position as the number one nation in Paralympic swimming, said Anderson.
“Yuriy is experienced in managing Paralympic swimmers at the international level, and his extensive knowledge will be a huge asset to the Paralympic high performance program at Swimming Australia.”
As the new Paralympic NTC Coach, Vdovychenko will oversee the daily performance environment of the athletes and also provide technical support to the Paralympic program.
Paralympic Performance Manager Adam Pine said Vdovychenko’s experience and passion is a major coup for the Paralympic program.
“Yuriy’s enthusiasm and attention to detail makes him the perfect appointment to support and develop athletes in the NTC elite environment and his ability to mentor and up skill our para-coaches will be a huge asset,” Pine said.
Vdovychenko is no stranger to the NTC after recently taking part in the Swimming Australia Paralympic Development Camp, ‘Road to Rio’, where he was appointed as Skills Coach and was responsible for the swimming technique and skill sessions and wetplate video analysis. In addition to this, Vdovychenko has been involved in a Paralympic performance capacity at the AIS since 2003.
“The thoroughness with which he undertook this role and the detail in reports he provided about specific coaching and technical considerations for swimmers with different disabilities was exceptional,” said Pine.
“With Yuriy at the NTC, the planning and delivery of camps, integration of coach education, sport science, medicine, technology and other support services will be maximised,” Pine said.
Vdovychenko started officially in the role this week.