HEAD COACH
Ben Johnson, Head Coach at SMART Coaching, is an experienced sports fitness, mentor, adviser & coach across all multi sports disciplines.
As a sports enthusiast and a competitive Surf Life Saving athlete and Triathlete in previous years, he has the knowledge, passion and desire for sport and knows what it takes to be a great coach.
Ben has a high level of technical knowledge, providing personalised and customised training programs across the multi-sports platform, namely swimming, riding, running and strength & conditioning. Catering for all different needs and a work, life, balance.
Ben has written training programs for a variety of athletes and caters for all athletes from adults and juniors, from beginner to those elite athletes competing up to World Triathlon Championship levels locally and abroad.
Ben has had as much pleasure and success creating programs for those wanting to achieve general fitness and wellbeing to those that are keen to participate in their first race, whether it be a personal best in a 5km run, to an ocean swim to their first triathlon or marathon.
Ben motivates his athletes and clients in a kind and accountable manner. As a run coach, being able to analyse the biomechanics of running techniques to create a safe and injury free running program for his athletes is Ben’s mission. Often grouped with his strength and conditioning classes, SMART Coaching is a great way for all runners from juniors, to teens, recreational runners and performance athletes to enjoy training safely, while improving their skills and fitness.
As a swim coach, he spends many mornings and afternoons at the Port Macquarie Town Pool, Hastings River and the popular Flynn’s Beach, sharing his extensive swimming background and knowledge in a variety of great swim sessions for SMART athletes.
Ben has lived and breathed bikes his whole life making riding and coaching a real passion of his. Ben’s extensive personal riding background and working at local specialist cycling centre, TRS, makes Ben’s technical knowledge in bike performance and understanding the biomechanics a real asset for SMART Coaching athletes.
Outside of coaching, Ben lives with his young family, spending as much time outdoors as possible from cycling to paddle boarding and catching some big waves. He enjoys his new found passion for travel, spending time watching movies, listening to podcasts and 90s rock.
COACH
Iuri has both enjoyed and played sports his whole life. Playing football (soccer) and Futsal at a representative level in Brazil then finding his way into triathlon. Iuri obtained his coaching license for triathlon at the Brazilian Confederation of Triathlon, training athletes in running, cycling and swimming. Iuri is a highly qualified professional in sports who is a great addition to our team at SMART coaching.
Iuri is committed and gives all the technical support to our SMART athletes to improve their performance. Iuri describes himself as an outdoors person who loves to play and train in a variety of sports, especially football and swimming whilst keeping it fun.
Iuri moved to Australia in 2018 to pursue further sporting coaching opportunities. Residing in the Gold Coast to achieve his ASCTA Bronze accreditation as a development swim coach.
Iuri moved to Port Macquarie in 2019 to become part of the SMART Coaching instructors taking on the adult swim squads at the Port Macquarie Town Pool. Iuri’s extensive knowledge of sports both from his personal sporting life and his professional career gives him the access to create challenging and fun swim sessions for SMART athletes.
Outside of swim coaching, Iuri enjoys ocean swimming, coaching football in youth academies, playing the drums, cooking, watching lots of football, traveling and enjoying time with his young family.
COACH
Belinda has surrounded herself with sport her whole life, growing up in Coffs Harbour and spending a lot of time around the town’s Olympic Pool whilst her parents swim coached. The swimming gene runs in the family.
While the family around her coached many decades of swimmers on the coast, including many professionals over their 20–30-year career, coaching became a way of life for Belinda. It’s safe to say coaching is in Belinda’s blood and she knows why her family adored it. The passion and satisfaction Belinda has experienced from coaching athletes over the last decade, from beginners to the experienced, is ‘indescribable’.
Belinda’s passion for sport was in the ocean. Belinda found success in Surf Life Saving where she was fortunate to gain selection as a professional in the Kellogg’s NutriGrain and Uncle Toby’s Ironwoman series in her late teens to early twenties. Despite the challenge to both hold down a full-time job and train to the highest of standards, Belinda’s dream to compete professionally had come true.
Belinda moved to Port Macquarie and was introduced to the world of Triathlon and found a new passion and challenge in the sport. In 2009 she completed her first triathlon and in 2012 went on to compete at a number of the World Championships successfully. This led her commence her Triathlon coaching career in 2013 founding SMART Coaching.
Belinda’s background as a remedial masseuse, as well as her interest and study in the strength and conditioning of the body’s core through Pilates, assists her as a coach to understand anatomically what SMART Coaching athletes’ bodies need. Advocating for a healthier and more balanced lifestyle in an athletes’ journey of training.
Belinda is a highly respected athlete with over 25 years of experience in coaching and mentoring clients. Her ability to keep things fun, challenging with a wellbeing focus makes her an amazing coach at SMART Coaching. Belinda absolutely loves seeing her clients achieve their goals.
Belinda loves to spend as much of her free time by the ocean. From swimming, paddling, catching a wave, snorkelling, relaxing and enjoying the beauty and awe that the ocean creates generally with her loved ones around her.
