Swimming Canada Names Martyn Wilby Interim Coach of HPC-Vancouver
Swimming Canada on Thursday announced coaching changes at the High Performance Center in Vancouver, including the elevation of Martyn Wilby to interim head coach.
Wilby will replace Brad Dingey as head coach. Tom Vandenbogaerde is the center’s new Performance Scientist Coach, in a partnership with Canadian Sport Institute Pacific.
Wilby joined Swimming Canada in 2017. His interim mandate is through at least the Commonwealth Games in the summer of 2022. Wilby has led Canadian delegations to various international events, including December’s successful FINA World Short-Course Championships.
Wilby is the former associate head coach at the University of Florida under Gregg Troy. He spent 19 years in Gainesville, including 10 (2006-16) as the associate head coach. Wilby’s role will focus on athletes at the training center at the University of British Columbia as well as with the national team. The goal is to, “ensure strong alignment with the overall Swimming Canada Strategic Plan to ensure that HPC-Vancouver contributes towards the organization’s objectives for the Olympic Games in 2024 and 2028.”
“I have worked to progress opportunities for our athletes since I began working with Swimming Canada,” Wilby said in a Swimming Canada release. “I am now looking forward to getting on deck and working with the athletes, staff, coaches in Vancouver and ultimately progressing their performance into 2022 and beyond.”
“Coaching and staffing appointments at HPC-Vancouver will be key to progressing the program toward the ultimate performance level at the Olympic Games,” High Performance Director and National Coach John Atkinson said. “We recently announced the appointment of Coach Mandy Bell to serve as the program’s assistant coach and she will work alongside Wilby in the new team structure.”
Vandenbogaerde is employed by CSI Pacific but will be deployed full-time at HPC Vancouver with a focus on the national team in a new partnership. The Belgian has worked in Europe and was most recently Swimming Australia’s lead physiologist, part of Swimming Australia’s exemplary campaign at the Tokyo Olympics. He will also act as an advisor to Swimming Canada’s paralympic program and its national coaching certification program.
Vandenbogaerde has worked with the Australian Institute for Sport, the New Zealand Academy of Sport and High Performance Sport New Zealand.
“I could not be more thrilled to take on the newly established role of Performance Scientist Coach at CSI Pacific in partnership with Swimming Canada,” Vandenbogaerde said. “It is a very exciting opportunity to be part of Canada’s push towards, and delivery of, swimming excellence. I look forward to starting the role, getting to know the people and their goals, and being part of making each other better.”
“We are delighted to have Tom come to work with Swimming Canada,” Atkinson said. “His world-class expertise will significantly enhance the daily training environment at HPC-Vancouver and on our national teams. Tom has a proven track record of leadership in coaching and athlete support that is focused on driving growth and development opportunities.”