Swimming New Zealand announce London Olympics support staff

The coaches and support staff for the New Zealand swimming team for the London Olympics has been finalised.

Swimming New Zealand coach Mark Regan will be the team coach and will be joined by fellow High Performance Centre coach Scott Talbot and the Wellington Region High Performance Coach Gary Hurring as assistant coaches.  

If the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay team are approved for qualification by FINA next month, then Southland coach Jeremy Duncan will be added to the coaching team.  

Rushdee Warley, currently on secondment to swimming from High Performance Sport New Zealand, is the team leader and manager.  

Warley believes it is a strong coaching contingent going to London.  

“They are the coaches of most of the swimmers who have performed to qualify for London.” Warley said.  

“Mark is a former coach of the AIS, Australian National Team Coach and  Head Coach of the Danish national team. Scott went to the Delhi Commonwealth Games and World University Games and he and Gary are both former Olympians. Jeremy also had experience in Delhi at the Commonwealth Games.  

“The staff are skilled and experienced. They will be working very hard together to ensure the swimmers get all they need to achieve optimal performances in London.”  

Confirmation of qualification of relay teams will be advised to Swimming New Zealand on June 11, while there are four New Zealand swimmers contesting the final qualifying for the 10km Open Water swim takes place in Portugal on 10 June (NZ time). Further staffing will be considered dependant on results in Portugal.  

The support staff are:  

Rushdee Warley – Team Leader/Manager, Mark Regan – Team Coach, Gary Hurring – Assistant Coach, Scott Talbot – Assistant Coach, Tom Vandenbogaerde – Physiologist, Antonio Cala-Mejias – Biomechanist/Race and Technique analyst. 

Also: Jeremy Duncan - Assistant Coach (subject to FINA approval of the men’s relay team).