Tri NZ attracts top talent back home

Triathlon New Zealand has secured something of a coup with the appointment of well respected coach and former elite athlete Brendon Downey to the position of Sport Development Director.

37 year old Downey will return from Australia to take up the newly created role with the national body. Downey has in recent years been working as a performance coach, including coaching Olympian Shane Reed in the lead up to the Olympics.

Tri NZ CEO Dave Beeche is thrilled to have enticed someone of Downey’s caliber and reputation to a role that is seen as vital to the continued development of the fast growing sport.

“We have for some time identified this role as key to our continued growth. It is a wide ranging role with the opportunity to influence the sport on many different levels.

“Brendon brings all of the attributes required for the role and more. He is a former elite athlete himself and has served a long and varied ‘apprenticeship’ for such a role, working in sports science and coaching for the best part of 15 years.

“His contacts and networking skills add further to his reputation within the triathlon community and will put him in good stead to help our team at Tri NZ advance the sport over the next few years.”

Downey is delighted to be returning home and to have secured such an influential role at a time when the sport is experiencing such positive growth.

“I am looking forward to leading the Sport Development programme to create pathways that not only allow more people to become involved in our sport but to also encourage and inspire those already involved to remain involved.”

“Its an exciting opportunity for me to direct development within a youth programme that enable schools, clubs and others to create positive opportunities for youth to participate in triathlon”

“I look forward to using my knowledge of triathlon coaching to enhance the coaching capability. I am committed to ensuring that Triathlon New Zealand produces more triathlon coaches, and that those who coach are more effective at coaching. New Zealand has some of the best triathlon coaches in the world, we need to ensure that there are clear pathways, resources, mentoring and opportunities so that continues.”

“Quality, safe, fun events are the backbone of our sport, the technical programme has already developed a number of excellent resources and systems to assist this, I look forward to working with event directors, officials and our very important and valuable volunteers that make this all possible”

“I am committed to engaging triathlons wider community, our members, our clubs, our volunteers. I see this as being very important to ensure we make the right choices about what we do.”

Beeche has no doubt that it is the high profile and growth of the sport in recent years that has played a part in recruiting a candidate such as Downey away from the ‘private sector’ of the sport.

“Often national sporting bodies are watching quality people head in the other direction, away from them and into ‘independent’ roles in the sport. In this case I am pleased to say that our reputation, success and growth as a sport have lured quality candidates to apply for the role. Clearly it is the opinion of the Board and Tri NZ that Brendon is the ideal candidate from a quality group of applicants.”

Downey will commence work in the new role on November 5th and is available for interviews and comment.


Brendon Downey CV and Background

Director & Coach
Endurance Coach
2003 - Current

Manager Sport Science Department
Millennium Institute of Sport
2001-2003

Manager Sports Science and Medicine Clinic
Runaway Bay Sports Super Centre, Gold Coast, Australia
2000 – 2001

Exercise Physiologist and Training Consultant
Performance Lab International Auckland New Zealand
1995 – 2000

Swim Coach
1995-1996

Lab Demonstrator and Tutor in Physiology
Department of Physiology, University of Otago
1994

Promotions Officer Dunedin Triathlon Club
1992-1993

Education/Qualifications
Bachelor of Science in Physiology (1989 – 1994)
Post Graduate Diploma of Science in Physiology
Triathlon Australia Coach - Level 2 (1996)
Triathlon New Zealand Coach – Level 1 (1991)

Achievements
2008 Olympic Triathlon Coach to Shane Reed
2006 Coach to UCI World Junior Cycling Champion
2006 Coach to ITU Junior Duathlon Champion Rebecca Spence
2005 Coach to ITU World Junior Silver medallist Rebecca Spence
2005 Coach to Double ITU World Cup Winner Sam Warriner
2004 Olympic Triathlon Coach to Jill Savage (Canada) & Sam Warriner
2003 New Zealand Prime Ministers Coaching Scholarship (Full)
1993 New Zealand University Blue
1993 Otago University Sports Person of the Year
1991 New Zealand Young Achiever & New Zealand Triathlon Champion
1990-94 New Zealand Triathlon Representative
1988 New Zealand Junior Triathlon Champion

Positions of Responsibility
2002-Present Director Catalyst Group Limited (Auckland Marathon, FundraiseOnline)
2008 Olympic Coach
2005 Tri NZ Elite Team Coach
2004 Olympic Coach
2003-2005 TriNZ High Performance Commission
2003 NZ Prime Ministers Coaching Scholarship
1989-1993 Dunedin Triathlon Club Committee Member
1988 Head Boy Logan Park High School