Martin Truijens will take over as the new head coach of Denmark’s National Training Centre in Copenhagen, replacing the departed Nick Juba.
Truijens has been coaching in the Netherlands since 2005, heading up the National Swimming Institute in Amsterdam since 2006. While there, he’s trained Olympic gold medalists Femke Heemskerk, Inge Dekker and Manon van Rooijen, along with European champ Sebastiaan Verschuren.
The 38-year-old will now jump into Denmark’s program, beginning his job in Copenhagen on January 1, 2017.
The previous coach there was Juba, who was only under contract with Denmark through the 2016 Olympic year. Juba served as both the head coach at the National Training Center and the country’s national team head coach. The latter title will now pass to Dean Boles on January 1, while Truijens will pick up the National Training Center job.
Denmark is coming off of its best Olympic showing in 68 years, with Pernille Blume winning the nation’s first Olympic swimming gold since 1948.
The full press release announcing the hire, per the Danish swimming federation:
Dutch top coach and researcher is to be the new Head Coach at the National Training Centre for swimming
The Danish Swimming Federation has signed a contract with Martin Truijens for the position of Head Coach at the National Training Centre (NTC) at Bellahøj Aquatic Centre from 1 January 2017.
Martin Truijens comes from a similar position as coach for 12 years at the national training centre in Amsterdam. During that time, he has been the coach for 13 different swimmers at the last three Olympics, and his swimmers have won more than 60 medals at different international championships. Among those swimmers are the likes of Inge Dekker, Sebastiaan Verschuren and Femke Heemskerk. Concurrent with this, Martin Truijens has worked with sports science at the Vrije Universiteit of Amsterdam, and among other things, completed a PhD on altitude training in swimming.
New Head Coach at the National Training Centre (NTC) in Copenhagen from 1. January 2017 – Martin Truijens.
The High Performance Manager for the Danish Swimming Federation, Lars Green Bach, is very much looking forward to having Martin Truijens join the team in the Sports Department – to be at the head of the NTC and to help implement the new sporting strategy and action plan “From proud results to new common ambitions”.
“For many years the NTC has had a significant role for Danish swimming sport’s international results, and the NTC is also included as a key element in our future ambitions. I am therefore very pleased that we have been able to enter into a contract with Martin Truijens for the position of NTC Head Coach,” says Lars Green Bach, the Danish Swimming Federation’s High Performance Manager:
“Martin has a unique profile both as a coach at the highest international level and as a researcher. I am therefore very confident that with Martin at the helm of the NTC, and in close collaboration with Team Danmark and other partners, we will achieve our ambition of an NTC with an innovative world-class programme for our swimmers.
So at the same time we can strengthen the NTC’s role as a flagship for international high performance swimming in Denmark”.
Martin Truijens has this to say about his switch from Dutch to Danish swimming:
“I have worked with the Dutch swimming sport for the last 12 years, and I can look back on a fantastic period in which I have had the opportunity to develop myself both as a coach and as a trainer. I am very grateful to the swimmers and my colleagues, with whom I have had the opportunity to work with during that time,” says Martin Truijens and continues: “In Denmark, I am really looking forward to help further develop the Danish NTC along with swimmers, colleagues, Team Denmark and Danish swimming in general. There will be a lot of new things to acquaint myself with, but I can feel that the time is absolutely right for me and my family. I am very much looking forward to the new challenges that await, and once we have an address in Denmark, I will take great pleasure in doing my bit to ensure the continued success of Danish swimming sport”.
CEO in the Danish Elite Sport organisation Team Danmark, Lone Hansen, is delighted with the news about Martin Truijens as a new Head Coach at the Danish National Training Centre in swimming in Copenhagen:
“’It confirms the high international level of Danish Swimming. Once again, the Danish Swimming Federation has succeeded in appointing an international experienced top coach. Martin Truijens has in addition to his coaching expertise also experience from the scientific world. The Danish Swimming Federation continues to demonstrate it’s vision to bring world class personnel to the sport of swimming through the National Training Centre in Copenhagen. The focus on science and fresh knowledge through Martin Truijens will help develop the danish swimmers to an even higher level in coming years” says Lone Hansen.
On Friday 11 November, in connection with the Danish Championships in short course for juniors at Bellahøj Aquatic Centre, there will be an opportunity to meet Martin Truijens in Denmark for the first time. He will move to Denmark with his family around the turn of the year.
