Ben Titley will swap Toronto for Barcelona after being appointed head coach of the Sant Cugat National Training Centre.
The Briton started his coaching career at the Loughborough ITC before moving to Canada’s high-performance centre in Toronto, where he oversaw the likes of 2016 Olympic free champion Penny Oleksiak.
Now he is set to join national performance director Sean Kelly in Spain to boost the high-performance programme as part of the project ‘Team Spain Elite’ which runs through until the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
In a statement released by the Royal Spanish Swimming Federation (RFEN), Titley said:
“I couldn’t be more excited to join the project of the Royal Spanish Swimming Federation at its Sant Cugat National Training Center.
“Working with Coach Olaf (Wildeboer) and the internationally renowned CAR team excites me and drives me to create a world-class environment where success is inevitable.
“With two 50m pools (indoor and outdoor), several weight rooms, support in science and sports medicine, a running track and a magnificent climate, we have the opportunity to establish a world-class performance environment. and a true hotbed in which to train some of the best swimmers in the world”.
On a personal note, he added:
“This change is just as important and exciting for my family.
“My wife and her daughter were born in France a few kilometers from the border with Catalonia and our future twins will be born here, with a good part of the closest family, just 90 minutes by car from the beautiful Sant Cugat monastery.
“Without a doubt, a challenge that fits perfectly for everyone at this point in our life journey!”