Key Appointments for National Triathlon Centre UL
There have been some exciting appointments within our Performance team over 2025 and into 2026. Triathlon Ireland is delighted to announce the appointment of Gary Ryan as Performance Director. Tokyo Olympian Russell White also joined the team earlier this year, as Apprentice Coach at the National Triathlon Centre, UL.
Gary Ryan Appointed as Triathlon Ireland Performance Director
Following an extensive international recruitment process, Gary Ryan will take up his position at the National Triathlon Centre UL from January. Gary will take ownership of the strategic leadership and delivery of the Performance Programme, and all elements related to Performance contained in Triathlon Ireland’s ‘Transform, Together 2021-28 Strategic Plan’.
Gary Ryan brings over two decades of experience across every layer of the high-performance system – from athlete to educator, coach, and senior leader. As Head of Capability and Expertise at the Sport Ireland Institute, he has led national initiatives to strengthen the skills, knowledge, and collaboration of coaches, performance staff, and leaders across Ireland’s high performance network. His work has directly shaped the development environment for Paris 2024 and set the foundation for the LA and Brisbane cycles ahead.
A two-time Olympian and World Indoor bronze medallist, Gary combines lived experience of elite performance with a proven record of developing others to reach that level. He has coached multiple international and Olympic athletes, guided national teams at youth and senior level, and contributed extensively to sport research, education, and governance. His leadership roles with Athletics Ireland, the University of Limerick, NUI Galway, and the Tipperary Senior Hurling Team highlight his ability to bridge academic insight with practical performance impact.
Gary is looking forward to joining the High Performance Programme at Triathlon Ireland;
“I’m excited to be joining the team at Triathlon Ireland as we work towards LA28 and beyond. I’m particularly looking forward to working with the Athletes and their teams to help them to continue to progress and reach their goals. With the National Triathlon Centre at UL, we have a great opportunity to create a world class training environment for the sport in Ireland that can be the driver of long-term success. We will be ambitious,and we will work extremely hard to continually develop the performance system in Ireland so Irish Triathletes will be and feel prepared to compete at the highest levels of the sport.”
On the new appointment, Triathlon Ireland CEO Darren Coombes said;
“At the heart of Gary’s approach is a commitment to collaboration, curiosity, and continuous improvement. He has built lasting partnerships between sport, academia, and innovation sectors, helping to modernise how Ireland supports its athletes and practitioners. Gary’s passion for learning and for unlocking potential, whether in athletes, coaches, or organisations, aligns perfectly with Triathlon Ireland’s ambition to build a performance system that is integrated, sustainable, and high achieving, rooted in the National Triathlon Centre in UL. We are delighted to welcome Gary to the team.”
White Brings A Wealth of Experience
Joining the National Triathlon Centre team as Apprentice Coach earlier in the summer, Russell White is a stalwart of the Irish triathlon team. Russell recently celebrating an incredible 130 starts at World Triathlon Level. Since his first international race at the 2010 Athlone European Championships, White has gone on to race at World Triathlon Championship Series level, and reached the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Having trained and raced abroad through much of his career, White is excited for what the National Triathlon Centre can achieve for upcoming Irish triathletes;
“It’s a great honour to be appointed Apprentice Coach at the High Performance Centre in Limerick. We’ve never had a centre before – it’s exciting to see what it can produce and that stability for Irish athletes being able to live and train in Ireland, and reach their full potential.”
White continues;
“The experience of racing at World Level and at Olympic level – it’s great to have the opportunity to bring that experience to the athletes here at the centre, so that they can learn from my mistakes and also from what I’ve achieved at the same time.”
“My plan for my own racing alongside the coaching role is to keep my name in the hat for Mixed Team Relay, while also enjoying trying my hand at some of the non-draft middle distance races.”
Darren Coombes welcomes this exciting appointment, and speaks of the importance of Sport Ireland funding with the role:
“Securing Sport Ireland funding for this role is a real boost and it’s encouraging to see professional coaching pathways opening up for athletes who can share their experience and insight with the next generation.”
“Russell has been an outstanding ambassador for Irish triathlon on the world stage, and we’re excited to have Russell on the staff team, while also looking forward to seeing him continue to perform as an athlete.”
