Bill Pilczuk.

Former 50m freestyle world champion Bill Pilczuk has been appointed to head up Bill Sweetenham’s new male freestyle sprint programme at the new Wales National pool in Swansea. Pilczuk, currently assistant coach to NCAA champions Auburn University in the USA, took the 50m freestyle title at the Perth World Championships in 1998, handing Alexander Popov his first defeat in seven years in the process. Currently he works with the sprint group in the Auburn programme while also teaching starts and turns technique.

This appointment is the latest step on Sweetenham’s plan to re-establish British male freestyle sprinting. After last year’s National Short Course championships, he branded male sprint freestyle programmes in this country as ‘terrific failures’ and promised to find an American coach to put things to rights. Pilczuk’s appointment marks the end of the search for a suitable candidate.