Yuriy Vdovychenko is a Silver Licence Coach accredited by the Australian Swimming Inc. in 2003. He has a Masters Degree in Coaching and Sports Administration (major in Swimming), Dnipropetrovsk State Institute of Sport and Physical Culture, Ukraine, 1987 – 1990. He was awarded with Honours ‘Coach of the Ukraine’ in December 1998 and ‘Honoured Worker’ of Physical Education and Sports in the Ukraine, by the President of the Ukraine in November 2000. 

Yuriy has been keen on swimming since his childhood. From the age of seven, he was a member of his local swimming club. By the age of thirteen, he was training seriously and was competing on the national level, he won two gold medals at the National Age Championships, 1500m Freestyle in 17:17.00 and 400m Freestyle in 4:19.50 and was selected for the Soviet Union Youth National Swimming Team. At the age of fourteen, he won a bronze medal at the European Youth Championships, 1500m Freestyle in 16:48.80. When he was seventeen he was the Ukrainian Champion for 50m Butterfly in 0:25.85, and won a silver medal at the Soviet Union Swimming Cup, 50m Butterfly in 0:25.65. 

In 1990 he graduated from the University of Sport and Physical Culture and started work at the same University. He has held positions as Senior coach and Senior lecturer at the University of Sport and Physical Culture and also was Head Coach of the Ukrainian National Paralympic Swimming Team. During his coaching in the Ukraine, swimmers from his group became champions of the Ukraine, the Soviet Union University Games and the Sydney Paralympic Games. 

Since he arrived in Australia in February 2003 Yuriy has been coaching as Junior Coach at the Ginninderra Swimming Club, as Senior Coach at the Tuggeranong Vikings Swimming Club and as Head Coach at the Queanbeyan Leagues Swimming Club. He also has been coaching Triathlon club at the CISAC Belconnen Swimming Pool and Tuggeranong Vikings AUSSI Masters swimming club. His swimmers consistently won medals at the Country, State Age and Australia School National Competitions. 

Yuriy’s coaching philosophy: To bring together all aspects of swimming training in a fun and enjoyable way that will also allow the swimmer to perfect their technique and achieve high results. 

Some advice on how to be a better swimmer:

·         Swimmers with better streamlining swim faster with less effort

·         Warm-up set should be done with excellent swimming technique and moderate pace

·         Main set should be done with excellent swimming technique and hard pace

·         Sprint set should be done with excellent swimming technique and 50m race pace

·         Swim-down should be done with excellent swimming technique and easy pace 

Yuriy also has a part time job with the Australian Paralympic Committee as a Coordinator of Development Project for athletes with severe disability.  He is married; his wife Irina is an Athletics coach for the Australian Institute of Sport. He has a daughter who in 2009 graduated from the University of Canberra with a Bachelor Degree in Psychology.