National Coach Calls Time   12 Sep 2014

12 September 2014

National Coach Calls Time

Triathlon New Zealand has accepted the resignation of National Coach Greg Fraine, ending a near six year partnership between Fraine and the National Body.

Discussions have been ongoing for some weeks between Fraine and Tri NZ High Performance Director Graeme Maw and CEO Craig Waugh, with Fraine tabling his resignation yesterday.

Waugh acknowledged the contribution of Fraine to the sport and says there have been challenges put to the HP team of late around performance with some robust discussion around how to make improvements to the programme.

“Our results have not been as we had hoped on occasions this year. While we have enjoyed great success with a number of our development athletes earning podium results at consecutive targeted events through Asia, Europe and North America we have not fired consistently with our elite athletes. Glasgow as everyone knows was particularly disappointing.

“It is important that we command higher standards, be clear on performance results and not be accepting of mediocrity. This is the core of the centralized High Performance Programme. Tri NZ needs to constantly ask how we can improve performance and bring about change to effect that improvement. Recent results for Andrea (Hewitt) and Nicky (Samuels) in particular in Stockholm and Edmonton highlight the ability to perform at that level, what we have not done of late is deliver consistently and neither did we deliver in Glasgow.

“It was with these challenges in mind that the whole debrief process was and will continue to play out. Everyone has been challenged to step up with performances and coaching, and that has led to differences in views on how to do this to achieve our goals and with Greg subsequently deciding it was time for him to step away after six years in the role.”

Triathlon New Zealand acknowledged the work of Fraine over the past six years as National Coach and the passion he has brought to the role during that time.

“Greg has been a part of our High Performance Programme for six years and has shown a huge passion to the sport and the athletes. He played an important role in the review of the High Performance Programme and the implementation of the recommendations of that review and has given great service to the sport over his tenure as National Coach. We wish him well in the future.”

The Tri NZ HP team and coaches will meantime continue the work off the Tri NZ HP2020 Strategy, with a strong focus on Rio 2016 and 2020 and the continued implementation of a strong development based programme in the immediate future.

ENDS

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