The Olympic 10K Marathon Swim at the 2012 London Olympics will be held in a tight, six-loop course in Hyde Park. The compact course, high-level competition and Olympic stakes will lead to a grudge match of an epic scale. Hard-nosed, extremely fit competitors with a knack for tactics will undoubtedly come out ahead.

And USA Swimming selected a former boxer-turned-successful collegiate coach to head its open water team at the 2012 London Olympics.

Well-respected Tim Murphy, coach of 2010 25K world champion Alex Meyer and long-time coach at Harvard University, will lead the American open water swimmers at the Serpentine. He understands well the tactics, techniques and training that will be required to enable his athletes to reach the Olympic podium.

Tim has led the Harvard University men’s swimming and diving team to six Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming League championships and a 107-9 record in his 13 seasons as its head coach. He is a member of the USA Swimming National Team coaching staff and is on the board of directors for New England Swimming.

Tim has placed athletes on Olympic, World University, Pan Pacific and Pan American teams and was named head coach of the USA Swimming men’s open water team prior to the 2011 FINA World Championships. He has also served as an assistant men’s coach at the 2009 World University Games in Belgrade, Serbia, also worked as an assistant at the 2001 World University Games in Beijing and at the 1993 World Short Course Championships. He was also a member of the Open Water Staff at the 1998 World Championships in Australia.

Tim will teach his swimmers the ability to give a figurative knock-out punch on that last and final loop in front of tens of thousands of fans on the Serpentine.

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