Leonard Tan likely to be NYSI's head coach for swimming
Former national captain set to become NYSI's head coach for swimming
EXCLUSIVE
As a swimming coach, Leonard Tan's goal was always to be among the best in Singapore.
And the Swimfast Aquatic Club coach is about to get one step closer to his dream.
The New Paper understands that the National Youth Sports Institute (NYSI) is set to name the 30-year-old former national captain as its new head coach for swimming. He is set to begin his new appointment next month.
Tan's role will see him work in tandem with national coach Sergio Lopez and his assistant, Gary Tan.
Tan declined to comment when contacted by TNP yesterday.
NYSI chief executive Tan Wearn Haw also refused to confirm the appointment.
But the former Singapore Sailing Federation chief executive said: "Youth coaches form an important and integral part of the development pipeline.
"As such, one of NYSI's objectives is to partner with various stakeholders to strengthen this part of the ecosystem.
"This includes working with the respective NSAs to identify, appoint and groom national youth head coaches to augment the sport's coaching team.
"These joint appointments will see the national youth head coaches providing the coaching support to national youth athletes or teams, as well as helping to engage, develop and value-add to the many coaches involved in developmental work in the ecosystem."
YOUNGER SWIMMERS
TNP understands Tan may initially work with the younger swimmers in the National Training Centre squad, before picking his own athletes in time to come.
His impending appointment follows that of Joanne Loo as the national youth head coach for netball, and comes just under a year after he succeeded former Singapore swimming star David Lim as the chief coach of Swimfast.
Tan, a breaststroke specialist as a swimmer, was named Club Coach of the Year at the Singapore Swimming Association (SSA) Awards Night at the Shangri-La Hotel last Saturday.
Ex-national swimmer Mark Chay, who has known Tan for over two decades, said: "He is very passionate about his job and very conscientious. He does a lot of study to make sure that he is the best coach for his swimmers.
"Also, he has the hunger to learn; he doesn't just rely on his own knowledge but also keeps up to date with the latest coaching practices."
The NYSI was officially launched in January and serves as a youth-focused version of the Singapore Sports Institute, which caters to elite adult athletes.
The NYSI caters to the development of talented youth athletes in both mainstream schools as well as the Singapore Sports School.
Its areas of expertise include talent identification, coaches' development, sports science and medicine, athlete education and career counselling.
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