World Triathlon

The first Americas-World Triathlon Coaches Level 1 Online Course concluded in January, with 58 participants from ten countries receiving the certification under challenging circumstances given the current Covid-19 climate. There were 82 men and 28 women initially enrolled back in November, with the final deadline for submissions of coursework closing on 17 January.

Among the attendees were the experienced Brazilian athlete Danilo Pimental and Costa Rica’s former National Champion Alia Cardinale and double-Olympian Leonardo Chacon, while Uruguay and Ecuador had the highest number of participants with 21 and 20 respectively.

The level one course is the entry-level for coaches, using a combination of theoretical and practical sessions in order to provide a thorough grounding in the principles and to be able to work effectively and safely with Junior and Age-Group athletes. Being the first to take place entirely online, the delivery and participation was brand new to all involved.

“It was an extremely demanding online course, with just six weeks to go through all the content and sessions. Some participants sadly struggled with the technology side, but in spite of the challenges I was impressed by the attendance and commitment. Some were having to dial in from parks or while at their jobs to get the best connection or work within the time differences”, said Lead Facilitator Vicent Beltran (ESP).

Joining Vicent in the delivery of the course were Claudia Beristain (MEX), Alejandro Cañas (ESP), Sergio Santos (POR) and Rodrigo Milazzo (BRA), with Edith Zariñana (MEX) and Maria Fernanda Gutierrez Perez (MEX) in assistance. Together they delivered nine online webinars and one-on-one interviews, while the group of participants, that included two para triathlon coaches, had to deliver four ten-minute training sessions by video for assessment.

“It is great to see athletes like Danilo and Leo planning their pathways into coaching by attending their first courses. For some of the participants it was just incredible to see their commitment given the lack of resources that are available in their regions. Seeing that desire to keep moving triathlon forward in such isolated places and environments you can’t help but be inspired by the ways the sport is continuing to develop across the world and the people it is touching.”

The next online course to take place will be the Mentor Course on 8 March. Find more information here.