Tom Pattichis appointed Olympic Head Coach – Beach Sprints
Tom Pattichis has been promoted into the newly-created role of ‘Olympic Head Coach – Beach Sprints’ to guide the GB Rowing Team’s Beach Sprint Programme to Olympic success at LA 2028 and beyond
Photo: Benedict Tufnell.
He will start in the new role on 1 February 2025.
Tom Pattichis has held various coaching roles at British Rowing before he moved to work as ‘Olympic Pathway Manager’ in 2022. Here, he has been instrumental in setting up and running the Beach Sprint programme as it was trialled ahead of its inclusion in the LA 2028 Olympic Games programme, where three Olympic medal events will be contested (CMix2x, CM1x, CW1x).
In 2024 Tom took on the role of Women’s Olympic Coach, which saw him coach the Women’s double sculls (W2x) of Mathilda Hodgkins Byrne and Becky Wilde to qualification at the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta and onward to a brilliant bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Now, as Olympic Head Coach – Beach Sprint, Tom will be looking to establish a team capable of building on its successes to date within this emerging discipline. These include 10 medals across the 2023 and 2024 editions of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals in Senior and Under 19 boats.
Commenting on his appointment, Tom said: “I’m excited to lead the new Beach Sprint Olympic programme in preparation for the Olympic debut of the format at LA 2028. Beach Sprints provides a fantastic new opportunity for the sport, offering an exciting alternative format for existing rowers, as well as increasing rowing’s appeal to new audiences and opening up opportunities to develop talent from communities all around the UK coastline.”
Louise Kingsley, GB Rowing Team Director of Performance said: “Tom has worked tirelessly to build the Beach Sprint programme and I am looking forward to working with him to drive this exciting new racing format forward. I have every confidence that he will continue to identify and coach talented athletes who can go on to make history and become the first to compete and hopefully win medals for Great Britain in Beach Sprints at an Olympic Games.”
