Swimming Australia announced today that reigning head coach Rohan Taylor will remain at his post through the next Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles 2028.
Swimming Australia also reaffirmed its appointment of Brazilian Olympic coach Fernando Possenti who will head the Open Water Program and Mel Tantrum, as Paralympic Head Coach.
Additionally, four-time Olympic coach and one-time guide of Olympians Cate and Bronte Campbell, Simon Cusack has been confirmed as National Youth Coach.
General Manager of Swimming Australia’s Paralympic program Anna Johnson said of the appointments, “I’m thrilled to announce the appointment of Mel Tantrum as the new National Head Coach of our Paralympic program. Mel brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of success, not only in swimming but across other Para-sports too.”
“Mel has an impressive legacy, having coached an individual Paralympic gold medallist and world record holder, and has coached multiple swimming and triathlon athletes on to the Australian Paralympic Team.
“Her experience spans 15 Australian swim team campaigns over more than two decades, highlighting her dedication and expertise in the sport.
“Mel’s collaborative leadership style, commitment to fostering high performing environments, and unwavering passion for supporting coaches, developing talent, and driving success has us incredibly excited and we believe her leadership and expertise will play a pivotal role in achieving our bold vision of becoming world leading.”
Tantrum said, “I am honoured to be appointed National Head Coach of Swimming Australia’s Paralympic Program”.
“I am looking forward to working with the motivated and talented coaches and athletes across the country with the vision of being the number one Paralympic Swimming nation in the world. Our goal nationally is to unite and inspire Australians with a disability to swim.
“Our Para athletes have a long history of performing on the world stage with the likes of Daphne Ceeney (1960) and Elizabeth Edmondson (1964) and more recent history including Priya Cooper, Matthew Cowdrey, and Ellie Cole.
“My role is to innovate and optimise our Paralympic Program to be podium ready for LA in 2028 and ultimately be world’s best in Brisbane in 2032.
“I have witnessed the growth and progression of our Paralympic swimmers and coaches since my first Paralympic team experience in Beijing in 2008, and I’m excited to be able to develop opportunities to advance Para athlete and coach development nationally”.
Executive General Manager of High Performance Greg Shaw said, “With these appointments we are building world class campaign leadership with experienced gold medal coaches.”
“Each have coached athletes to win when it matters. Our challenge of going to LA and continuing to grow our performances is immense but with the coaches we have in key roles we have confidence our sport is in the right hands to deliver.”
Taylor said, “I am honoured to be leading the Olympic Program to LA and privileged to be working with the coaches, athletes and HP Leadership that make our Dolphins team successful. None of us exist in isolation and the quest for excellence is ongoing across all programs.”
National Youth Coach Cusack added, “I’m excited about this role and helping establish a blueprint from a coaching point of view, my goal is for coaches coming through the system to have a greater appreciation for perfect technique. There’s been a great investment in skills like starts and turns in recent years.”
“And we’ve seen that flow through but it’s only part of the race, and we need our younger coaches, who seem to be very well versed in physiology to have a far greater appreciation for what it takes to coach the fundamentals of the four strokes – and that’s my immediate focus.”
