2023 Swammy Awards: European Coach of the Year – Antonio Lutula (original) (raw)
Lutula coached Sarah Sjostrom, Michelle Coleman and other Swedish swimmers to standout performances in 2023. Archive photo via Mine Kasapoglu
See all of our 2023 Swammy Awards here.
EUROPEAN COACH OF THE YEAR: ANTONIO LUTULA, SWEDEN
Perhaps an unknown to some, it was a phenomenal year for Antonio Lutula and his swimmers at Sweden’s National Elite Centre in Stockholm, earning him European Coach of the Year honors.
Lutula, who took over the position as head coach of the National Centre in January 2022, has served as the primary coach of star sprinter Sarah Sjostrom for the last two years, and she has continued to be a dominant force in the pool under his tutelage.
In 2023, Sjostrom set the pool on fire in the women’s 50 free, an event she has largely reigned supreme in since breaking the world record in 2017.
Although she regained the sub-24 form she had consistently shown prior to breaking her elbow in early 2021 last year, winning the 2022 world (23.98) and European titles (23.91), the now 30-year-old Swede hit another level in 2023.
Sjostrom broke 24 seconds a staggering nine times during the year, culminating with her producing the two fastest swims in history at the World Championships in Fukuoka, breaking the world record in the semis (23.61) before winning gold and defending her title the following night (23.62).
She held the previous world record at 23.67 at the 2017 World Championships, and prior to 2023, hadn’t been sub-23.9 since 2019.
Sjostrom also won her fifth consecutive world title in the 50 fly, including notching her fastest swims since 2017 in the semis (24.74) and the final (24.77).
The only swimmer in history to have broken 25 seconds, Sjostrom’s world record of 24.43 in the 50 fly has been on the books since 2014, and since then she has only been faster two times (24.60 in 2017 and 24.69 in 2015) than she was this year.
Only taking on two individual events at Worlds, Sjostrom also played a critical role on Sweden’s relays, leading the women’s 400 free relay off in 52.24—ranking her #2 for the meet behind individual world champion Mollie O’Callaghan and #3 for 2023 in the 100 free—and anchoring the medley relay in 52.08.
Both relays finished fifth in Fukuoka and featured other members of Lutula’s training squad in Stockholm.
Michelle Coleman featured on both relays and had an impressive individual showing herself in Fukuoka, nearing best times from 2019 to place seventh in the women’s 50 free (24.46) and 100 free (53.41 in semis).
Sara Junevik swam on the free relay and was also an individual finalist in the women’s 50 fly, setting new lifetime bests in both the semis (25.77) and final (25.74) to finish sixth overall.
Another World Championship qualifier training under Lutulla, Sofia Astedt swam on the preliminary 400 free relay for Sweden and also raced the 200 free individually, placing 41st.
Sjostrom’s standout year continued on the World Cup circuit in October, sweeping the women’s 50 free and 50 fly at all three stops, breaking 24 in the 50 free twice and 25 in the 50 fly once.
In December, Lutulla sent six swimmers to the European Short Course Championships, with Coleman, Junevik and Astedt joined by Samuel Törnqvist, Jonathan Kling and Erik Falk.
Coleman won her first major individual title in the women’s 50 free, lowering her four-year-old lifetime best in 23.52, and also placed fourth in the 100 free and was a key cog on Sweden’s relays, helping propel the team to gold in the women’s 200 free and 200 medley.
Junevik also factored into those winning relays and won bronze in the 50 fly, while Astedt anchored the free relay.
Among the male swimmers, Tornqvist broke his own Swedish Record en route to a 10th-place finish in the 200 back (1:53.24 in prelims).
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
- Tadas Duskinas, Lithuania – Duskinas, a former Arizona State Sun Devil who retired from his competitive career in 2019, took over as the head coach of Lithuanian star Ruta Meilutyte in March 2023, and the two clearly meshed well. Meilutyte, the 26-year-old who won Olympic gold at the age of 15 and took a brief hiatus from the sport, made a triumphant return to the top of the international stage in 2022, but took things to another level this year. Meilutyte defended her world title in the women’s 50 breast in dominant fashion, breaking the world record in 29.16 after matching the previous mark in the semis (29.30). She also was a remarkable 78 one-hundredths clear of the next-fastest swimmer. In the 100 breast, after she took bronze in 2022, Meilutyte roared to the gold medal in Fukuoka by more than a second in 1:04.62, the fastest swim the world has seen since 2017 and a remarkable reclaiming of the world title for Meilutyte, who had last won the crown in 2013. After the World Championships, Meilutyte took on the World Cup circuit, winning the 50 breast at the first two stops—setting a World Cup Record in Berlin in 29.56—and topping the 100 breast in Athens.
- Mark Faber, Netherlands – Faber coached the talented breaststroke contingent in the Netherlands to a very strong year, with Arno Kamminga and Tes Schouten both walking away with World Championship medals and Caspar Corbeau showing marked improvement. Kamminga was consistent in winning silver in the men’s 100 breast in Fukuoka, matching the performance he produced at both the 2022 World Championships and the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Schouten had a real breakout year, resetting Dutch Records numerous times and winning bronze in the 200 breast at Worlds in 2:21.63. The 22-year-old followed up by completing the “Triple Crown” on the World Cup circuit in the 200 breast, winning at all three legs including setting another National Record at the Budapest finale in 2:21.52. Entering the year with a PB of 2:23.67 (from December), Schouten recorded the 12 fastest 200 breast swims of her career in 2023. She also set the Dutch Record in the 100 breast earlier in the year in 1:05.71. Corbeau, who made the move to train under Faber following his collegiate career at the University of Texas, set lifetime bests across the board in 2023. Corbeau was fifth in the men’s 200 breast (2:08.42) in Fukuoka, and then got down to a new PB of 2:07.99 in Rotterdam on Dec. 1, ranking him #7 in the world this year. He also set a new best of 59.27 in the 100 breast at the World Cup in Berlin, good for 17th in 2023. Faber also coaches sprinter Kenzo Simons, who set long course best times of 21.81 in the 50 free, 49.40 in the 100 free and 23.70 in the 50 fly this year. At SC Euros in December, Schouten won gold in the 200 breast in another National Record of 2:16.09, and added a bronze in the 100 breast. Corbeau won gold in the men’s 200 breast and bronze in the 100 breast, while Kamminga won gold in the 100 breast and bronze in the 200 breast. Corbeau and Simons also combined to win bronze medals on the Dutch men’s and mixed 200 medley relays.
- Michel Chretien, France – Chretien coached Maxime Grousset to a standout year that included three medals at the World Championships, one of which was a surprise gold in the men’s 100 fly. Perhaps it wasn’t a surprise at the time, but coming into the year, no one would have picked Grousset to challenge for the title, having not recorded a long course swim in the event since 2018. However, he dropped a National Record of 50.61 at the French Elite Championships in June, and then blasted his way to gold in Fukuoka in 50.14, launching him up to #5 all-time. Grousset also won bronze in both the 100 free (47.42) and 50 fly (22.72 in semis), and delivered one of the best swims of the entire meet during the men’s 400 medley relay, splitting 49.27 on fly, the second-fastest ever, for the French team that ultimately finished fourth. The 24-year-old continued his run at SC Euros in December, winning the 100 free (45.46), earning silver in the 100 fly (49.00) and taking bronze in the 50 fly (22.06). Also training under Chretien at the INSEP National Training Centre in Paris are French World Championship team members Yohann Ndoye-Brouard, Hadrien Salvan, Roman Fuchs, Mary-Ambre Moluh and Emma Terebo. Ndoye-Brouard was a finalist in the men’s 100 back in Fukuoka, placing fifth, while Moluh took 10th in the women’s 50 back and followed up with a bronze medal in the 100 back at SC Euros.
PREVIOUS WINNERS
- 2022 Swammy – Alberto Pinto da Silva
- 2021 Swammy – Tom Rushton
- 2020 Swammy — Mark Faber
- 2019 Swammy — James Gibson
- 2018 Swammy — Energy Standard Club staff
- 2017 Swammy — Philippe Lucas
- 2016 Swammy — Stefano Morini
- 2015 Swammy — Shane Tusup
In This Story
Arno Kamminga
Caspar Corbeau
Maxime Grousset
Michelle Coleman
Ruta Meilutyte
Sarah Sjöström
Stefano Morini
About James Sutherland
James swam five years at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario, specializing in the 200 free, back and IM. He finished up his collegiate swimming career in 2018, graduating with a bachelor's degree in economics. In 2019 he completed his graduate degree in sports journalism. Prior to going to Laurentian, James swam …