Our Coach
Merle Maud | CERTIFIED Swim SMOOTH Coach
Passionate About Inspiring Others
Sport has been the biggest motivation in my entire life. It has always encouraged me to be my absolute best, with patience and dedication all goals can be achieved.
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WHY & HOW SWIM COACHING?
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I grew up with sport and competitions from age 7 until university where I decided to go another route, Landscape Architecture. I loved my career in Sweden and Dubai where I had the possibility to be part of great projects that are now been built and enjoyed by many.
Though something big was missing as I embarked on this journey, my athlete community. I found triathlon and fell in love again, pushing my physical limits and connecting likeminded people. I decided to do a 360 turn in my career and set up an endurance swimming squad by becoming Swim Smooth Certified coach, which is a leading authority in the distance swimming world with an innovative and personalized approach to help people in their athletic journey.
WHAT DO I LOVE ABOUT COACHING?
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I have been coached by many different coaches through my athlete career and I have learned a lot from each one of them. The most important thing for me is not always the great results (they're a bonus) but is more how they can MOTIVATE me to achieve the next level. It has been one of the greatest values that I try to carry with me whenever I deliver any coaching.
I love working with people and through sport it is even more rewarding. We set goals and using effective coaching methodologies to embark on the journey to achieve not only results but also lifestyle that motivates us to remain active. I believe in using science and metrics to guide the structure but also understanding that the athlete is a person, juggling with everyday life to become better.
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ESTONIA to SWEDEN to DUBAI to SINGAPORE to NEW ZEALAND
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I feel very lucky that I have had the chance to live as an expat for more than a decade and keep developing my career, learning new languages and meeting people all parts of world.
Through these years I have successfully set up two Swim Smooth squads both in Dubai and Singapore where both came one of the biggest swimming community training clubs in both regions. I have had a privilege to work more than 1000 swimmers and do 400+ video analysis session from beginners to elite age group athletes. It's not every day you will be handed a key to 8 lane 50 meter pool and given the opportunity to build a team of 250+ swimmers, becoming one of the most desired endurance squads in the whole country :)!
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LATEST SPORTING RESULTS
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IM New Zealand 2021 - 2nd fastest overall age grouper
Mount Festival 2021 - 2nd fastest overall age grouper
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Bintan 70.3 2020 - 2nd fastest overall age grouper
Vietnam 70.3 2020 - 2nd fastest overall age grouper
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EDUCATION
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Swim Smooth Certified Coach
Endure IQ triathlon coach
ITU Level 1 Triathlon coach
Tri NZ Foundation Coach
ASA Swimming teacher Level 2
Pilates Mat - Level 2 teacher
AUT Graduate Diploma in Sport and Exercise (ongoing)
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