Darren Smith

In 2012 coach Darren Smith made history when six of the triathletes in his squad were selected to compete for six different countries at the London Olympics. This unprecedented accomplishment is the result of his constant pursuit of excellence in his coaching. Coach 'Daz', as he is known to his athletes, is a master of technique. He emphasises the process, not the outcome, and the minute improvements in his athletes’ skills make all the difference to their overall performance. Darren's two biggest coaching influences have been Gennadi Touretski and Brett Sutton. Touretski coached the swimmer Alexander Popov who won 4 Olympic gold medals (2 at the 1992 Barcelona Games and 2 at the 1996 Atlanta Games). Darren worked with Brett Sutton, the renowned triathlon coach in the late 1990s. Darren began his coaching career working with Ironman athletes, including Kate Allen and Sarah Gross. Since those early days he's grown into his role as coach to ITU athletes such as Lisa Norden who won silver at the 2012 London Olympics Games. Other athletes who have been coached by Darren include Jodie Stimpson and Aileen Reid.