Jamie Main has been appointed the new national coach for Olympic swimming at the Bath National Centre.
Main has been head coach of Derbyshire’s Derventio Excel squad since 2015, bringing through the likes of Olympian Jacob Whittle – now with Mel Marshall at Loughborough – and British 50m breaststroke record-holder Imogen Clark, overseeing athletes’ journeys to international honours and playing a part on British and English teams at multiple international meets.
He has been a mainstay of elite coaching in the East Midlands region for the past two decades, with 14 years spent developing junior and senior international swimmers at the Nova Centurion club.
Main will join up with Bath National Centre lead coach David McNulty – Team GB’s Coach of the Year for 2021 – in the south-west of England, at a centre which produced eight medals at last summer’s Olympic Games.
His arrival follows the departure of Jol Finck, who left last year to become director of coaching of the Nunawading Swim Club in Victoria, Australia.
Speaking about the appointment, British Swimming Olympic Swimming Head Coach Bill Furniss said:
“Jamie will be a fantastic addition to what is a hugely-successful programme at the Bath National Centre. He has a great track record for bringing swimmers through and developing them across a variety of strokes and distances.
“Working with David McNulty, we look forward to seeing what Jamie can bring to the Centre and the continued impact he can have on poolside for British Swimming.”
Main himself is relishing the chance to get started at Bath.
He said:
“I’m feeling excited. It’s a privilege to be joining David and the world-class team down there. I’ve been part of four Olympic-medal-winning campaigns and worked with international swimmers for more than 20 years, so I’m looking forward to guiding a group towards success in Paris 2024 and LA 2028.
“The Bath National Centre offers athletes the very best training environment. Our job is to facilitate high performance every day to enable the swimmers to deliver when it counts, ultimately at the Olympic Games.”
He also paid tribute to the swimmers, coaches, staff and volunteers he has worked with throughout his time at Derventio, adding:
“The last seven years at Derventio Excel have been a time of challenge, finding solutions and then reaping the rewards. I’ve loved it.
“During tough times at the programme, we have coached swimmers to more than 30 national records, placed swimmers on numerous international teams and built a culture that inspires young people.
“I’ll take many cherished memories with me of the great people at DX and a team that never gave up through adversity. It’s certainly been a time in my career I’ll forever be grateful for and proud of what we’ve achieved.”