OCTOBER 20 - GRAEME MAW (pictured) is to leave as the performance director of British Triathlon after six years only a few weeks after British triathletes won five world titles in eight days.

 

It is believed the split is acrimonious but no reasons are being given for his departure. But Maw's resignation follows the imposition of a three-month ban last month on the world champion, Tim Don, for missing three drugs tests.

 

The 42-year-old Maw joined British Triathlon in 2001 having previously been the high performance manager for swimming at the Queensland Academy of Sport in Australia.  A graduate of Loughborough University, Maw had studied exercise physiology in the USA and Australia.  He gained a PhD at the University of Wollongong and was a recognised sports scientist and performance analyst.

 

His programmes have been hugely successful in nurturing young talent through to world class performance with a number of 2012 hopefuls emerging from the programme this last two years including Will Clarke, Ollie Freeman, Alistair Brownlee, Helen Tucker, and Vanessa Raw.

 

“British Triathlon has a strong Olympic squad in place not just for Beijing 2008 Games but also for London 2012," said Maw. " After six years in post and after the successes of this year, I feel this is the appropriate time to step aside to allow a successor to work with the squad through to Beijing and then to build on this experience to London 2012."

 

Norman Brook  the chief executive of British Triathlon said: “Graeme has been instrumental in establishing a truly World Class performance pathway and coaching network for British Triathlon.  His work came to such emphatic fruition in sweeping the men’s titles at this year’s World Championships in Lausanne. This was the second time in his term that Britain could lay claim to the title of World’s best nation.”