Coach Doug Frost, mentor to Ian Thorpe, is abandoning Australia to head one of Britain's new Intensive Training Centres. The man who led Thorpe to three Olympic gold medals in 2000, a record six gold medals at the 2001 World Championships and a record six Commonwealth crowns in 2002, will be based at Stirling in Scotland.
The centre is one of five that are being established in Britain this autumn in line with a blueprint laid down by Bill Sweetenham during his time as performance director in Britain.
Frost, former Senior Swimming Coach for the Australian Institute of Sport, said: "I am really excited about taking up my role at the Stirling ITC and working alongside Scottish Swimming. I believe it will be a great experience and I am looking forward to the challenge of setting up the new centre.
"I think with the introduction of the new ITCs in Great Britain there will be a new added element of high-level competition between the centres that will only help further develop the sport, while introducing high-level training facilities will only help develop swimmers in the UK.
"After working at elite level in swimming for the past 18 years I believe I can help make Great Britain a dominant force in international swimming in 2012."
Thorpe left Frost in the wake of the 2002 Commonwealth Games. He never swam as fast again, his world records in the 200m and 400m stemming from 2001 and 2002. Thorpe's victories in the 200m and 400m freestyle at the 2004 Olympic Games were testiment to the grounding he had had with Frost and the work he had done with Frost's former assistant coach, Tracey menzies.
Britain's new head coach, American Dennis Pursley, added: "Doug is obviously best known as being the coach that took Ian Thorpe to his greatest achievement and we know he will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience into the ITC network.
"I believe that Doug will not only be good for Stirling but for British Swimming too. He has an excellent track record of producing results and I think this will help benefit both coaches and swimmers throughout the UK."
