Our Coaches
A professional, passionate, 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
"Train to evolve and win, if you fail train harder"
Bia Cavaleiro
"Train better than yesterday, trust the process and be fearless, you are half way there"
Aina Pastor
"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
Co-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 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 and Club Head Coach
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 & Club 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.
Bia Cavaleiro
Academy & Club Coach
Club where he started
Clube Fluvial Portuense (Portugal)
Position
Goalkeeper
Biggest achievements as a player
Goalkeeper of the Portuguese National Team / Best goalkeeper of Portugal (2023/24)
Biggest achievements as a coach
Goalkeeper coach of the Portuguese National Team and being able to see to see my athletes become great players
Hobbies
Gym, sunsets, and making music playlists
Favorite player
Ashleigh Johnson
Bia Cavaleiro is a distinguished coach and former player with an impressive career at Clube Fluvial Portuense from 2012 to 2024. Starting as a center forward, she transitioned to goalkeeper, becoming a 7x Champion of Portugal and representing the national team. As captain of the U19 national team in 2016, she led her squad to three European Championship qualifications (2016, 2022, 2023) and participated in the Euro League (2016) and LEN Challenger Cup (2023).
Since 2017, Bia has served as the U20 women's coach at Clube Fluvial Portuense, leading them to become champions of Portugal. Additionally, she has been an assistant and goalkeeper coach for the national team, taking part in the U19 World Championships in 2023. Bia is committed to developing young talent and fostering a love for water polo.
Aina Pastor
Academy Coach
Club where she started
Club Natació Terrassa (Spain)
Position
Center
Biggest achievements as a player
2x Spanish Champion (14u and 16u) / Silver Medalist Spanish Queen's Cup
Biggest achievements as a coach
Champion of Spain by Autonomous Federations with Catalonia
Hobbies
Animals, anything related with the sea, reading
Favorite player
Paula Leitón, Maggie Steffens, Nicoleta Eleftheriadou
Started playing at Club Natació Terrassa, where she played for four seasons in the División de Honor, she was instrumental in helping CN Atlètic-Barceloneta achieve a historic double promotion to the top division. During her playing career, she became a three-time Spanish champion in youth categories, a runner-up in the Copa de la Reina Cup, and a two-time Catalonia champion, one of them with the Catalan national team.
As a coach, she has four years of experience working with the women's categories at CNAB, earning a bronze medal in a Spanish championship. Currently, she is an assistant coach to Chus Martín in the senior team, focusing on the technical development of goalkeepers, while also coaching the club's cadet category. Additionally, she coached the Catalan national team to a Spanish Federation Championship title and holds a RFEN superior coaching certification.
With a strong competitive and coaching background, she stands out for her expertise in technical development, contributing to the growth of teams and young talent in water polo.