Deryk Snelling

Deryk Snelling

Quick Facts

Category: Coach
Name: Deryk Snelling
Swimmer: Mark Tewksbury

HIGHLIGHTS

1992 Olympic Games, Barcelona, Spain: Head Coach
Coach for Mark Tewksbury Gold Medalist
100m Backstroke (WR)
Olympic Games Coach: 1972, 1976, 1980,
1984, 1988, 1992, 1996

Canada's Deryk Snelling chosen to coach the women's swimming team but did not participate in the boycotted 1980 Moscow Olympics . (CP Photo/COA) Deryk Snelling du Canada, sélectionné comme entraîneur en natation pour les Jeux olympiques de Moscou de 1980, n'y a pas participé en raison du boycott. (Photo PC/AOC)
BIOGRAPHY

Generally regarded as one of the greatest coaches ever in international swimming, from 1967-1975 Snelling built the Canadian Dolphin Swim Club based out of Vancouver into arguably the strongest on the continent.

Beginning in 1972, Snelling represented Canada at seven consecutive Olympic Games, serving as the national team’s head coach in Montreal, Moscow, Los Angeles and Barcelona. Throughout the course of his career, Snelling guided a total of 60 swimmers to the Olympic Games, with 21 reaching the podium. Among some of the prominent Canadian swimmers Snelling coached include Olympic gold medalist Mark Tewksbury.

Special AchIevements

– 10 World Championship medals
– 38 Pan American medals
– 65 Commonwealth medals
– 27 Pan Pacific medals
– 7 World Records and have won
– 69 Canadian National Team Championship titles including
– 400 Individual and Relay Canadian National Titles during his coaching career while living in Canada.
– author of “All About Individual Medley” which stresses the importance of training all four swimming strokes.

Coaching Highlights

Head Coach – Calgary Team Corel
Head Coach – University of Calgary Swim Club
Head Coach – University of Calgary Varsity Club
Head Coach – Etobicoke Swim Club
Head Coach – Canadian Dolphin Swim Club
High Performance Director, Amateur Swimming Federation of Great Britain from 1996 to 2000.

Head coach of the Canadian Olympic team four times
Head coach of Commonwealth Games team five times
Head Coach of one World Championship Team

1972 Munich Olympic Games – Head Coach
1973 World Aquatic Championships, Belgrade, Yugoslavia – Coach
1974 Commonwealth Games, Christchurch, New Zealand – Coach
1975 World Aquatic Championships, Cali, Columbia – Coach
1976 Montréal Olympic Games – Head Coach
1980 Moscow Olympic Games – Head Coach Women’s Team *Canada Boycotted Games
1988 Seoul Olympics – Coach
1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games – Head Coach Men’s Team
1986 Commonwealth Games, Edinburgh, Scotland – Head Coach
1987 Pan Pacific Championships, Brisbane, Australia – Coach
1990 Commonwealth Games, Auckland, New Zealand – Coach
1991 World Aquatic Championships, Perth, Australia – Head Coach
1992 Barcelona Olympic Games – Head Coach
1994 Commonwealth Games, Victoria, BC – Coach
1994 World Aquatic Championships, Rome – Coach
1995 Pan American Games, Mar Del Plata, Argentina – Performance Coach
1995 World Short Course Championships, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Coach
1996 Atlanta Olympic Games – Coach
2002 Commonwealth Games, Manchester, England – Personal Coach

Awards

– Canadian Swim Coach of the Year in 1987, 1988 & 1992
– CIAU Coach of the Year from 1982-1988
– 3M Coaching Canada Award in 1990
– Order of Canada – 1977
– Induction into International Swimming Hall of Fame – 1993