Stannard is named British Men’s Olympic Head Coach

PAUL STANNARD was appointed the new Olympic head coach for men by the British rowing team following a two-stage application process.

Stannard has worked with British Rowing for more than 18 years and has led the men’s sculling team to both the Rio 2016 Olympics and the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympics since 2013. In Tokyo 2020, Leanders’s men’s quad won Harry Leask, Angus Groom, Tom Barras and Jack Beaumont won an historic silver medal – GB’s first ever Olympic medal for this boat class – and Graeme Thomas and John Collins’ men’s doubles finished fourth, making it the most successful men’s Olympic sport since 1948.

His first role at British Rowing was in 2003 when he was building the successful Talent ID Center in Bath as a World Class Start Coach. Stannard was rewarded for his hard work and dedication to the sport by winning the 2012 Performance Development Coach at the Sportcoach UK Coaching Awards.

He also received the Nick Broad Award for Emerging Talent for his work in the World Class Start Program, which included the identification and development of Helen Glover and Heather Stanning, who won Olympic gold medals in both London and Rio, and Vicky Thornley, she won silver in Rio.

As the men’s Olympic head coach, Stannard will lead the Olympic program to produce Olympic-class boats that have the potential to win medals in international competitions.

Commenting on his appointment, Stanndard said, “In my interview for my first role at the World Class Start in 2003, I stated that my main motivation for the job is to help British athletes win medals on the world stage.

“The quad silver medal in Tokyo was fantastic and I look forward to working with the coaches and coaches to help our talented athletes continue to win medals for the UK and themselves for years to come.”

Louise Kingsley, UK Rowing Team‘s Director of Performance, said: “I am delighted to have Paul take on the new head coach role, he has beaten a strong field of internal and external candidates. Paul’s leadership of a program has grown significantly in the past 12 months while serving as interim lead coach for men’s sculling.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how he works with the broader squad to deliver world-class performance, develop a contemporary performance culture and stay actively connected to the path.”

The recruitment of the women’s Olympic head coach is still ongoing.