A PENARTH swimming coach who has produced a swimmer for every Olympic Games since 1968 is set to retire.
After 47 years coaching, including 10 Olympic Games as Great Britain National Coach, 12 Commonwealth Games as National Coach to England, Hong Kong and Wales and receiving an MBE for services to sport in 2008, Dave Haller MBE and Head Coach to City of Cardiff Swimming Club has announced his retirement from the sport.
An Olympian himself, representing Great Britain in Tokyo in 1964, Dave has been the UK's most successful swimming coach over the past 45 years, coaching the likes of David Wilkie and Duncan Goodhew to Olympic Gold Medals, and of course Mark Foster who represented the City of Cardiff Swimming Club in 1996 when he swam at the Atlanta Olympics, going on to set no less than seven world records in the pool.
After Dave's initial appointment as Head Coach to City of Cardiff Swimming Club in 1974 he returned to the Club in 1991 following successful coaching roles in Scotland, England and Hong Kong where he was coach to the National Team.
On his return to Cardiff, Dave Haller was instrumental in the success of Cardiff's own Olympic medallist David Davies guiding him to Olympic Bronze in the 1500m Freestyle in Athens, 2004 followed by Silver in the 10K Open Water in Beijing four years later.
In the Commonwealth Games at Melbourne 2006 he coached David Davies to Gold in the 1500m and bronze in the 400m.
His coaching success has continued throughout his illustrious career having two Cardiff swimmers on the team for London 2012, Ieuan Lloyd and David Davies for his 3rd Olympics.
In 2014, six of his swimmers from the City of Cardiff Swimming Club were selected for the Welsh Team in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
A little known fact is that Dave has produced a swimmer for every Olympic Games since 1968.
The swimmers, committee, officials, parents past and present from the City of Cardiff Swimming Club wish Dave all the very best in his retirement and he will be sadly missed.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here