Europe Triathlon

A group of ITU coaches came together in Istanbul, Turkey last weekend to take part in an ITU Level 1 Club & Community Coaching Course.

A total of 11 coaches from Turkish National Federation attended the course at the Volley Hotel in the Istanbul. The Volley Hotel is the official hotel of the Turkish National Volleyball Federation with excellent conditions for training and lectures.

The course was organized by Zeljko Bijuk (CRO), ITU Development Coordinator for Europe and financed by Turkish Triathlon Federation.

The course included theoretical and practical sessions about Triathlon, based on the ITU’s Level 1 club & community coaching manual, which includes information on everything from the swim, bike, run and transitions to basic nutrition and coaches responsibility.

The participants of the course had a practical opportunity to put into practice their new found knowledge by taking part in a Triathlon race on the Sunday in Yalova, just across the Sea of Mamara from Istanbul and on Asian soil, under the supervision of ITU facilitators Grega Zore and Milos Petelin, both from Slovenia, and Zeljko Bijuk.

During the race, Zeljko Bijuk and facilitators identified some talented athletes in youth and junior category with great potential to excel in triathlon, if exposed to the optimal coaching structures in the future.

ITU Development Co-ordinator Zeljko Bijuk (pictured above giving a lecture on the bike) said: “The majority of the coaches were national team coaches, some of them still active triathletes, who all share the same enthusiasm to help triathlon reach a higher level in their country. All of them are keen to approach the Level 2 Competitive Coaching Course as soon as possible to learn more.”

ITU facilitator Milos Petelin said after the course: “In spite of language difficulties, for me it was a challenge to teach to people in Turkey. We are very grateful for their wonderful hospitality and sharing passion for our sport.”

Aytug Akar, coach of the Turkish military triathlon team said: “This whole course was conducted at the highest level thanks to the great knowledge, passion, experience and hard work of the presenters who were patient and stayed longer than planned to pass the knowledge”