KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Aquatics' newly appointed swimming technical director Megan Oesting is honoured to be given the chance to lead the Malaysian swimming programme.
Megan, 51, arrived in Malaysia last week and said the reason she joined the programme was because Malaysia Aquatics' vision aligned with her own.
"It is an honour to come here and be able to lead Malaysian swimming," said Megan yesterday.
"When I was in the United States, a well-respected friend who went to school with Marilyn Chua (MAS deputy president) sat me down. She said 'I have a position that aligns with your vision and skillset, they (Malaysia Aquatics) need you as much as you need them'. I was convinced to come over for the project.
"The long-term vision is to become unified and look to bring up every level of swimming in Malaysia, not just the top. We have to look towards the future and make sure we are positioned well."
Megan has been given the task of turning around Malaysia's flailing fortunes in the sport and has the credentials to revolutionise high-performance swimming here.
The former US national swimmer and multiple medallist at the Pan American Games went on to coach at University of California, SwimMAC Carolina and Oregon-based Bend Swim Club, among others.
Megan is known to emphasise the importance of data and technology in her training methods which is not surprising considering she majored in math and computer science and also holds a masters in statistics and educational measurement.
New national coach Eric Anderson is expected to join the national setup on Feb 26.