By Sportsbeat
British Canoeing is pleased to announce the appointment of Rene Olsen as the new senior technical lead coach for the Olympic canoe sprint programme.
The former sprint and marathon canoeist, who represented Denmark in the sport, has plied his trade as a high performance coach for over 12 years, most notably with Canoe Racing New Zealand where he currently remains as the side’s lead coach.
Having recently guided New Zealand women’s team to World Cup glory, Olsen will be a strong addition to the programme, which will hope to build on the four medals that the sport won at the Rio 2016 Games.
Paul Ratcliffe, performance director at British Canoeing, said Olsen’s appointment will be invaluable as the sport builds towards the next Olympic cycle.
“Not only does Rene have an impressive background in delivering results on the international stage, but his technical expertise and leadership will be invaluable in supporting our coaches and athletes as we build for the Tokyo 2020 cycle and into 2024,” he said.
“I am also confident that Rene’s knowledge of sprint racing in the UK, from his time spent training in some of our clubs towards the end of his paddling career, will enable us to strengthen our partnerships with our clubs and the wider sprint community, something which is so important to the long term success of our sport.”
Prior to working in New Zealand, Rene spent three years with the Danish Canoe Federation where he held the positions of assistant coach to the senior team and head coach for the under 23 and 18 squads.
Speaking in light of his appointment, Olsen said:”I am very honoured to be offered the opportunity to be involved in such a strong programme. British Canoeing is one of the world’s canoeing powerhouses with a long history and a great club-based community.
“I am very excited about the potential in British Canoeing and confident that my knowledge and technical expertise, gained through my recent campaigns, can contribute to building a sustainable multi-medal programme for years to come.”
Olsen will take up his role on the programme, which is led by canoe sprint performance manager Heather Williams, on September 18.
