Dave McNulty Honoured With BSCA Lifetime Achievement Award After Guiding Swimmers To Olympic Pinnacle
The British Swimming Coaches Association (BSCA) has honoured Dave McNulty with its Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of a fine career in which he’s guided swimmers to the top of the Olympic and world podium.
McNulty, the Head Coach of the Aquatics GB Performance Centre Bath, made his GB coaching bow at the 2001 World Championships in Fukuoka. Since then he has overseen Jo Jackson to bronze at Beijing 2008, Michael Jamieson to 200 breaststroke silver at London 2012 and Siobhan O’Connor to 200IM silver at Rio 2016 where Jazz Carlin claimed double silver in the 400 and 800 free. Chris Walker-Hebborn led off the GB relay quartet that finished second in Rio and at the 2017 worlds.
Dave McNulty: Photo Courtesy: Bath Performance Centre
McNulty was awarded his MBE for services to swimming, one month before his fourth Olympic Games where he guided swimmers to the top of the rostrum, including Tom Dean who led home Duncan Scott for a British 1-2 in the 200 free. Dean joined forces with James Guy, Matt Richards and Duncan Scott as the quartet won 4×2 gold with Calum Jarvis having swum prelims. Freya Anderson, who swam the prelims of the mixed medley in Tokyo before GB went on to win the inaugural title, was also among McNulty’s stable before moving to Stirling.
In Paris the Tokyo quartet claimed an historic title defence. No four individuals had combined to win relay gold medals at two different Olympics before they did so at La Defense Arena in July 2024.
Guy spent seven years in Bath, working first under Jol Finck and then McNulty, before moving on to Millfield in September 2023. While with McNulty, he won Olympic, world, European and Commonwealth titles.
The BCSA said: “Dave has been a stalwart of British Swimming Coaching for many decades. He has nurtured & developed the talents of swimmers to achieve success at Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth levels and been true to his fundamental principles throughout. The BSCA Board had no hesitation in recognising this living legend! Many congratulations Dave!”
McNulty was also handed the BSCA Coaching Award of Excellence 2025 for his role with the men’s 4×2 which won the world title in Singapore.
The BSCA are issuing awards throughout the week and Swimming World will publish another piece highlighting those.
