Ian Hulme has informed his team that he will be resigning his post as the head swimming coach at the University of Loughborough. Hulme, who confirmed the news to SwimSwam, says that he will be remaining on to train his athletes through the Olympic Games, but said that his future employer wasn’t quite ready to announce that destination yet.
Hulme was part of the swimming conglomerate at Loughborough, where he worked mostly with students (undergraduate and postgraduate) at Loughborough University. That includes Swedish sisters Louise Hansson and Sophie Hansson. It was through them that Hulme was named to the Swedish coaching staff for the 2022 World Short Course Swimming Championships, 2023 World Aquatics Championships and 2023 European Aquatics Championships.
He was also on the English staff at the 2018 and 2022 Commonwealth Games, and the British staff at the 2018 European Championships and 2017 World Junior Championships, among other international appointments.
He has also had a few brief stints coaching in the United States.
He has also worked recently with European Champion Alex Cohoon, Lewis Burras, 2023 Worlds team member Lauren Cox, Irish champion Conor Ferguson, and American Olympian Paige Madden (who is now back training in the US).
Among his 2024 Olympians are Honey Osrin, one of the team’s bright young newcomers, and the aforementioned Cohoon.
Hulme is himself a former British Record holder and an alumnus of Loughborough University, where he studied Physics and Sports Science.
Loughborough has remained one of the most consistent training centers in the UK, albeit with multiple different training groups (including Adam Peaty under coach Mel Marshall).
When you’ve coached in a program for over a decade, you’re bound to have a few dissatisfied athletes (true in any walk of life). This is evident from some of the negative comments on this SwimSwam article, including one referencing a BBC article that lacks supporting facts – probably why nothing was done upon investigation. It’s also unfair to pin the entire issue on one guy, as there is a team of four coaches and a massive support team, including a nutritionist, who would have played a role in deciding if weight loss/gain was wanted. In high-performance sports, weight is considered a performance measure and a safety issue if severely under-weight, especially in a high-calorie-burning sport like swimming and in… Read more »
Nice comment Ian!
Incorrect… again.. A bit about me; lover and supporter of the sport of swimming – particularly in the UK. Also dislike lies and arguments without facts and evidence to back it up. Believe there’s always two sides to a story.
Too many coaches in this sport over the years have been unfairly slandered, and they don’t deserve it.
This comment sums you up SwimObs… you are clearly either a very jealous person or a parent of one of the swimmers who weren’t good enough. I hope you find peace and happiness one day.
All International athletes with major success before joining Ian’s group have left. Paige Madden even stated she wanted to retire last year, these comments were made whilst training under Hulme. Would Catie DeLoof have made the Olympic team, had she not been subjected to his coaching for a season?
And what about all the athletes that have had success since coaching with him? Paige also shared publicly about her health condition, so to twist her wanting to retire to relate to Coach Hulme is low and seems you’re trying to ruin someones career without knowing any of the facts. As for Catie maybe she would have, but does that mean his programme was the reason, or could it be she played a part to and didn’t commit or even like Loughborough as a place? Ultimately you don’t know but to make sweeping statements is damaging.
So much more goes into high performance sport, maybe try gaining a wider perspective on elite sport.
Could not say it better myself! Everyone so quick to jump on the negatives. Ian Hulme is an unbelievable coach. The success under his name is so underrated and doesn’t get the flowers he deserves. So many rats in these comment sections quick to jump on him because a programme doesn’t work for a swimmer. So much more to elite sport than “programmes”
Have you read the bbc article? Doesn’t sound like a program issue but a character issue
BBC reliable source aren’t they hahaha. Were you there?
Great coach! What a fantastic career he has had so far, hopefully can produce even more Olympians on his next venture!
Both Louise and Sophie left England this spring and is training at NEC in Stockholm. Btw the picure is of Louise
Very nice guy, terrific coach!
Perhaps he’ll be off to Canada, High Performance Centre Ontario?
the Atkinson way
It would be in line with Canada’s longtime addiction/fetish to Brit and Aussie coaches being in charge instead of Canadians leading themselves.
Rumor has it he’s off to the US for a college coaching job … quite a few GB connections that come to mind.
SafeSport database +1 if that’s the case
Finally, it was about time. Feel bad for all the athletes who had to leave or stop swimming because of him over the years. Good luck to his future employer
What are you talking about?
I was coached by Ian from 2015-2019 and he was great! Good craic and knew what he was talking about
Agree, he did not know how to talk to swimmers he just picked on the female swimmers if they were not a certain size or shape and was only interested in swimmers when they were swimming well
Were you there?
Funny how Swimobs just talks negatives. Never would mention all the success athletes have under Hulme. 58 international medals? 6 of his swimmers this year are competing in Paris? Lucky future employer if you ask me!
Success isn’t everything in sports. It matters how you treat athletes
Again, you can be a successful and still not be a good person to others. They aren’t mutually exclusive.
Looking at the last 4 coaching articles that SS posted –
Pat Ota, comments all positive
Roric Fink, comments mostly positive
Trevor Maida, comments mostly positive
Brian Hansbury, comments all positive
I doubt these 4 people never had an always positive connection with every athlete. But not enough for anyone to take the time to say how their time with them was a negative experience. And over the last few years, we have seen people step out in the comment sections and there’s more truth to what’s published.
There were a few positive folks in… Read more »
He hasn’t got 6 swimmers competing in Paris he has 2! The other ones are coached by AndI Manley the head coach of the uni programme
Do your research.
Some people eh!
Sorry missed one foreigner the polish girl, so makes 3 but still not 6 so do your research
Why does it matter if she’s foreign? Cohoon, Kornelia, Honey. Plus Louise and Sophie qualified for the Olympics under Hulme. They only recently decided to go back to Sweden.
Hulme has more than 2; he has Cohoon going, Honey and Kornelia… maybe others too… but it’s more than 2
Yeah it’s 3 no more as none of the other uni swimmers in his group made it, the open water lot and Dan Wiffen are coached by Andi Manley
You’re wrong on your facts! He has 4
but its defo not SIX, he isn’t that good!
-2 hansons qualifying before heading back to sweden
-cohoon 100 free relay
-honey – 200 back
-kornelia 50free
-still also tbc irish relays for ferguson
if ferguson gets across line it makes 6…
58 international medals according to a comment above? can’t argue with the facts- he’s pretty good. Up the toon
Godspeed to wherever he lands.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-64826840
It was investigated and he no further action was taken?
That never stops an irrationally driven, disgruntled, extreme minority having their moment.
Yeah that’s why 4+ athletes leave his group every year
It’s interesting to me because you can check recent coaching announcements on this website for positive/negative comments. The ones with overwhelming positive comments can easily be seen. The ones with “irrationally driven” and “disgruntled” seem to have a truthful thread at times.
People deserve coaches who can genuinely connect and care. Can you have had a great experience with someone as your coach and someone else didn’t? Absolutely. But there’s more than one way to cook an egg.
,
Tunnel vision
That’s a BBC article, written by a corrupt journalist. Fake news!
She has been sued for false journalism around her Ellesmere attack…