Fernando J. Canales will coach three-time Olympic medalist Yannick Agnel of France. (Photo by Andy Daddio)
Fernando J. Canales, the Mark S. Randall head coach of men’s and women’s swimming at Colgate, has been asked to be the personal coach of three-time Olympic medalist Yannick Agnel of France during the upcoming World Championships in Barcelona, Spain.
Agnel burst onto the scene worldwide last year during the London Olympics, winning two gold medals, including the 200-meter freestyle, in which he broke the French record with a time of 1:43.14. He also took home gold in the 4 x 100-meter freestyle relay as he anchored the come-from-behind win, closing a late deficit in the final 50 meters against American Ryan Lochte. Agnel managed to win silver in the 4 x 200-meter freestyle relay as the anchor leg once again.
The Frenchman decided he needed a new training environment and joined acclaimed swim coach Bob Bowman at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club in order to get ready for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Bowman and Canales go back to their days at the University of Michigan; Canales worked with Bowman, who was the head coach with the Wolverines from 2004 to 2008 and is best known for coaching record-breaking American swimmer Michael Phelps.
Bowman has entrusted Canales to coach Agnel during the World Championships. Canales will provide a first-account experience of coaching one of the best swimmers in the world. He is going to blog at gocolgateraiders.com while coaching Agnel in Spain.
The Federation Internationale de Natation (FINA) World Championships will take place July 19 to August 4 in Barcelona.