Our Coaches
A professional and experienced staff
Meet our Staff
"Water polo is my big passion! Water polo is life!"
Quim Colet
"Water polo is my way of life"
Ferran Pascual
"If you don't risk, you don't fail, but then you don't evolve"
Yuri Colet
"We never lose. We either win or we learn"
Egedi Gabór
"Today you are the best, tomorrow you may not be. Work to be the best tomorrow"
Miquel Gasulla
"Train like you compete, and compete like you train"
Noelia Mora
"Eat, play, sleep, repeat"
CC Leonard
"The foundation of all our training and coaching programs lies in the expertise of our staff. All BIWPA coaches undergo mandatory formal training provided by both the Catalan and Spanish Swimming Federations, in addition to extensive experience in the sport as coaches and, in many cases, as high-performance players."
Our Superstars
Felipe Perrone & Anni Espar
Espar has been linked to BIWPA since the beginning of the project. With an enviable track record, Espar has played and succeeded at the highest level in Spain, the US, and Australia.
Anni Espar
Spain National Team & CN Mataró
A passionate team
With a common goal: 'To get the maximum out of each athlete.'"
Quim Colet
Founder & Sports Director
Club where he started
Club Esportiu Mediterrani (Spain)
Position
Center
Biggest achievements as a player
Runner-up in the RFEN National League (CN Barcelona 1979) / Bronze in the Spanish 18u Championships (CN Barcelona) and Junior Championships (CN Barceloneta)
Biggest achievements as a coach
2x Olympian coach / Junior World Champion with Spain (1991, USA) / LEN Euro Cup Champion (2022) / Runner-up in the LEN Super Cup (2022) / Spanish Super Cup (2020)
Hobbies
Big fan of FC Barcelona (soccer and handball teams)
Favorite player
Tamas Farago (childhood idol) / Manel Estiarte / Milan Milanović / Vlado Vujasinovic / Tibor Benedek / Felipe Perrone / A goalkeeper: Jesús Rollán
Quim Colet, co-founder and sports director of BIWPA, is a prominent and highly regarded figure in the world of water polo, with an impressive career both as a coach and in sports management roles.
Since November 2018, Quim has been the coach of the men's professional team at CN Sabadell, winning the LEN Euro Cup (2022) and the Spanish Super Cup in 2020. He also competed against CN Atlètic-Barceloneta for the league title last season, winning the regular league.
Additionally, Quim served as assistant coach for the Spanish men's national team at the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympic Games. Previously, he won bronze at the World Championships in Melbourne 2007 and silver in Rome 2009. He was also the head coach of the junior team, winning gold at the World Championship in Los Angeles 1991, bronze in Mar del Plata 2007, and silver in Volos 2011, as well as two European silver medals.
As technical director of the Catalan Swimming Federation (2008 - 2016), Quim played a key role in the development and promotion of water polo in the region.
Colet began his coaching career in youth categories in 1983 and became a professional coach in 1987, when he took over the senior team at CE Mediterrani, the club where he began his playing career. Since then, he has coached several professional teams in the Spanish Honor Division: Atlètic-Barceloneta, Larraina, Aguas de Valencia, and CN Barcelona.
Currently, he is the president of Barcelona Waterpolo Club, of which he was also one of the founders in 2018. It is the only club in the city of Barcelona exclusively dedicated to water polo.
With such an impressive career, Quim Colet continues to be an renowned and respected figure in the world of water polo, making significant contributions to the growth and success of the sport both nationally and internationally.
Ferran Pascual
Academy Head Coach
Club where he started
Club Natació Rubí (Spain)
Position
Center
Biggest achievements as a player
Playing in the Spanish División de Honor with CN Rubí / Winner of the Taça de Portugal Cup with Fluvial
Biggest achievements as a coach
Silver in 16u and bronze in 18u Catalunya Championships with CN Rubí / Winner of the women's Taça de Portugal with Fluvial / Junior National Team Coach of Portugal in European and World Championships
Hobbies
Big fan of FC Barcelona soccer team
Favorite player
Felipe Perrone and Sandro Sukno
Ferran Pascual is a professional player and coach at Club Natació Rubí, a club he has been a part of since the beginning of his water polo career. Additionally, he was the first coach of the BIWPA Academy in 2015 and currently also coaches the Portuguese women's national team.
With a degree in Higher Education in Physical Activity and Sports and the highest coaching certifications from the Catalan and Spanish federations, Ferran combines solid training with extensive experience in aquatic sports.
As a player, he currently competes in the top Spanish division, while as a coach he has led U14, U16, and U18 teams at CN Rubí. He has also worked as an assistant coach at the High-Performance Center (CAR).
Beyond Spain, Ferran has experience playing in the leagues of Brazil and Portugal, where he also coached the women's senior team at Fluvial, winning the Portuguese Cup.
Yuri Colet
Co-founder, Academy Head Coach, and Technical Director of BCN WP CLUB
Club where he started
Club Esportiu Mediterrani (Spain)
Position
Attacker (left side)
Biggest achievements as a player
Spanish 16u Champion (2005)
Biggest achievements as a coach
Two promotions to national leagues with CN Poblenou from 2017 to 2022 / Coach of the Balearic Islands regional team from 2014 to 2017
Hobbies
Playing basketball, handball, football, and cooking
Favorite player
Felipe Perrone y Aleksandar Ivović
Yuri Colet is one of the co-founders of BIWPA, coach, and technical director of the Academy and Barcelona Waterpolo Club.
In his career as a professional coach, he has worked for several prestigious clubs in Barcelona such as AE Santa Eulàlia, CN Sant Andreu, and CN Poble Nou. In the case of CN Poble Nou, he achieved two consecutive promotions with the men's senior team to the Primera División Nacional.
Additionally, Colet served as the technical director for Aquàtics Sóller in Mallorca for two years, and also coached the Balearic Islands selection.
Colet holds the highest coaching certification from both the Catalan and Spanish federations, and he underwent training in the high-performance technical program at the High-Performance Center (CAR).
Egedi Gabór
Academy Coach
Club where he started
Hónved (Hungary)
Position
Center / Wing
Biggest achievements as a player
Champion of the Hungarian league / Champion of the Cup in Germany
Biggest achievements as a coach
Head Coach of the professional women's senior team of Club Natació Catalunya for 9 years
Hobbies
Soccer (more than a hobby!)
Favorite player
Manel Estiarte
Born in Hungary, one of the countries with the richest water polo culture in the world, Gabi has been the coach of the professional women's team at Club Natació Catalunya for 9 years, and has been coaching at BIWPA's Academy and other programs since September 2021. He has also collaborated with the national team of the Philippines as part of BIWPA's advisory program for this selection.
As a player, Gabi participated internationally in all age groups of the Hungarian national team and played for the professional teams Honvéd and Szolnok.
Outside of his home country, Egedi continued his career as a professional player in Pays d'Aix, Montpellier, Tourcoing, and Noisy-le-Sec (France); Duisburg in Germany; and in Spain with CN Sant Andreu, CN Montjuïc, and CN Catalunya.
Among his most notable achievements are winning the Hungarian league championship with Honvéd and the German Cup championship with Duisburg.
Miquel Gasulla
Academy Coach
Club where he started
Club Natació Olot (Spain)
Position
Attacker (right side)
Biggest achievements as a player
9 years playing in División de Honor in Spain / Participation in European and World Championships with the Spanish youth and junior national teams / Silver medal in a junior World Championship
Biggest achievements as a coach
Champion of Catalonia u12 (with CN Catalunya) / Champion of Catalonia and Spanish runner-up (14u), Champion of Catalonia and Spain (16u) with CN Barcelona
Hobbies
I am a big FC Barcelona fan and I enjoy going to the movies with friends
Favorite player
I've never had a favorite player, I admire the players of the Spanish men's national team led by David Martín and Svilen Piralkov
Since the 2023/24 season, Gasulla has been part of the coaching staff at the Academy. Currently, he coaches the U16 (cadet) and U14 (infantil) categories at Club Natació Barcelona, in one of the best training programs in the country.
On the other hand, Miquel has been part of the coaching team at the CAR de Sant Cugat, within the high-performance program of the Catalan and Spanish teams.
As a player, he was on scholarship in the FCN training program, training and living at the CAR de Sant Cugat and being part of the youth age groups of the Spanish national team, even competing in World and European championships. At the club level, he played at he highest level with CN Barcelona, CE Mediterrani, and CN Catalunya.
Noelia Mora
Coach and Secretary of BCN WP CLUB
Club where she started
Club Natació Sabadell (Spain)
Position
Attacker (1-2, 4-5)
Biggest achievements as a player
Three-time champion of the LEN Champions League / Bronze medalist at the 18u European Championships
Biggest achievements as a coach
Coach of youth teams at Club Natació Sant Andreu / Promotion to the Catalan 1st Division with Barcelona Waterpolo Club
Hobbies
Any sport
Favorite player
Alexandra Asimaki, Denes Varga, Ioannis Fountoulis
Former professional water polo player until 2023, Noelia is now focusing on pursuing her career as a coach.
She already holds the highest coaching qualifications in Spain and, after a brief stint at CN Sant Andreu, Noelia joined BIWPA in 2023 as the coach of the two senior teams at Barcelona Waterpolo Club, also being involved in camps and the Summer Academy.
As a player, Mora has a prestigious career, having been trained at CN Sabadell, where she won the Champions League three times, at CN Sant Andreu, where she served as captain, and at CN Terrassa. She also has experience abroad, specifically with Hungarian Szentes and Portuguese Benfica.
As a player, she spent two years on scholarship at the High-Performance Center and participated in a European Championship with the Spanish youth team, winning the bronze medal.
Cecilia Leonard 'CC'
Academy Coach
Club where she started
Miami Riptides
Position
Utility
Biggest achievements as a player
12th place World Championships Budapest 2022
Biggest achievements as a coach
Coaching at the BIWPA Academy
Hobbies
Cooking and listening to podcasts
Favorite player
Men: Stylianos Argyropoulis & Tomas Vernoux / Women: Rita Keszthelyi & Elena Xenaki
Cecilia, a two-time NCAA All-American at IONA College, played professionally for three years in Spain with CN Catalunya and CE Mediterrani, and was also a member of the Argentine national team. In 2021, she was recognized as a National All-American in the USA Water Polo Masters.
In the 2022/23 season, she joined the coaching staff of the Academy as an assistant coach after completing coaching training courses at BIWPA's Coaches Institute. Cecilia has been collaborating with BIWPA since 2019 in the camps held with Gator Water Polo in Florida.