Meet the Team

Director & Coach

Sam’s journey in triathlon began in 2010, when her very first race tested her resilience with wild weather and a flat tyre before even leaving the first transition. Despite the rough start, she was hooked. As a mum of two young girls, triathlon became more than just a sport—it was a way to stay mentally and physically strong, connect with others, and be a role model for her daughters. Over the years, Sam has taken on a variety of events including sprint and Olympic distances, off-road triathlon, duathlon, and half ironman, with a career highlight being the 2018 ITU Sprint World Championships.​ She continues to participate in endurance events, now testing her skills with trail running. 

As a coach, Sam’s passion has evolved and deepened. She focuses strongly on the high performance space, continually building her knowledge and skills to support developing athletes on their journey toward elite racing. She thrives on the challenges and intricacies that come with high performance sport and is especially driven by the opportunity to work with para athletes and contribute to a more inclusive coaching environment. Sam also has a growing interest in athlete health and wellbeing, particularly within the elite space, understanding that success comes from more than just training hard​, it’s about supporting the whole athlete.

​Sam continues to play a key role in heading up the ​MTA junior program, working closely and collaboratively with her coaching partners. She ​enjoys mentoring junior athletes, alongside her work with age groupers and developing high performance athletes. Based in Melbourne, she coaches face-to-face through M​TA’s scheduled group sessions and is available for one-on-one coaching where needed. Sam is known for her creative approach to helping athletes balance the demands of life and training, and she remains deeply committed to guiding athletes at every stage of their triathlon journey.

Director & Coach

For over a decade, Chris has advocated for sports and public health causes through his work and coaching. He is a qualified Triathlon Coach and a Performance Development Running Coach. His coaching combines his passions for sport and public health which allows him to personally coach young people to their goals, whether that is completing their first triathlon, transitioning from single sport to multi-sport, developing as a State level athlete or achieving their first podium.

Chris believes in working with and giving back to organisations paving the way to prevent and cure chronic disease, and has raised over $20,000 for public health charities through endurance sport initiatives such as his 17 marathons challenge. He enjoys coaching athletes who are keen to learn, have a sense of humour and are looking to feel the benefits of being more structured and consistent in their training.

He has lived in Switzerland, Belgium, USA and the UK and has worked in senior management roles within health services. He has been a board member of public health networks and charities both in Europe and Australia. He is also Head Coach of the University of Melbourne Triathlon Club.

Head Coach

Head Coach Michael created Momentum Endurance Coaching in 2015 to offer a comprehensive coaching service that promotes individual success within a supportive culture. Michael is a high performance coach based in Switzerland where he works with his squad of triathletes.

Starting as a swim coach straight out of school he moved to Melbourne from country NSW with the aim of being amongst the action in Australia’s sporting capital to cut his teeth as a young coach. He has been involved with triathlon since 2006 where he started as an athlete however his ever inquisitive nature and drive to figure out how to improve performance has led to him focusing solely on coaching and working with athletes. He has made a point of meeting and learning from the world's best coaches including some of Australia’s top junior development athletic coaches, Australian athletic record holders as well as Olympic medalist and World Championship winning coaches.

Michael lives in Switzerland but remains involved in the coaching and training of MTA athletes. He currently works with junior, age group and professional triathletes both in Switzerland and Australia.

Coach

With over 10 years in the cycling industry and a background in junior bike racing, Benson brings both knowledge and enthusiasm to coaching. A qualified Foundation Triathlon Coach with a Bicycle Education Certificate, he enjoys helping athletes develop skills and confidence at every stage of their journey.

Benson is also a guide for a vision-impaired para triathlete, reflecting his strong commitment to inclusivity and ensuring that sport is accessible to all. His experience extends beyond triathlon too, having worked across a variety of sports including teaching ice skating to beginners and school groups.

At Momentum Triathlon Academy, Benson is excited to share his passion for sport, support athletes of all abilities, and contribute to a welcoming, community-focused environment.

Young Athlete Wellbeing Coordinator

Skye joined the Momentum Triathlon Academy team as our youngest ever Board Member in late 2025, bringing experience not only as an athlete, but as a qualified physiotherapist following her graduation from La Trobe University.  She has experienced the development process as an adolescent athlete, graduating to the professional ranks in 2024.  Now as a professional athlete, she lives and breathes the Momentum Triathlon Academy values of putting health before headlines, leading by example and seeking to have a profound impact on young people’s health and wellbeing, beyond the sport of triathlon.  Skye now works with Chris and Sam to coordinate MTA activities around young athlete health and wellbeing.  This includes engaging with young athletes and parents to improve their knowledge on topics such as sleep, bone health, energy deficiency and other issues that may hinder a young athlete from getting active and staying active in their adolescent years.