Joana Figueiredo

Jane Ann Figueiredo (born 18 December 1963 ) is a Zimbabwean-British diving coach. She is best known for coaching 2020 Tokyo Olympics men's 10 m synchro champions Tom Daley and Matty Lee, and the 2000 Sydney Olympics women's 3 m springboard champions Vera Ilyina and Yulia Pakhalina. She was head diving coach at the University of Houston from 1990 to 2014, during which time she was awarded the NCAA Diving Coach of the Year four times, and members of her team won a total of 51 CSCAA All-America honours and eight NCAA championships. She was assistant coach to the British Olympic team in 1996, assistant coach for the Russian Olympic team between 2000 and 2008, and was head diving coach for the British Olympic team from 2014 to 2025.

Early life and competitive diving career Figueiredo was born in Salisbury, the capital of Rhodesia – now known as Harare, Zimbabwe – in December 1963, to a Portuguese father and British mother. Hers was a very sporting family, and her father was a motor racing driver on the local southern African circuit in the 1960s and '70s. As a child she was a competitive swimmer, but she found this "boring" so she decided to switch to diving. Following in the footsteps of a number of other Rhodesian divers, she moved to the University of Houston (UH) in the early 1980s to join their established diving program.

Figueiredo represented Zimbabwe at the 1982 World Aquatics Championships in Ecuador, where she finished in 21st position in the women's 3 m springboard competition. However, for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics she decided to switch allegiance to Portugal – she had Portuguese citizenship through her father – as she had lost touch with the Zimbabwean aquatic federation.

Coaching career Figueiredo graduated from UH in 1987, with a BA in Hotel and Restaurant Management. At that time, Daley had already won a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympic Games, but Figueiredo saw that he had greater potential.

In November 2024, Figueiredo received an International Olympic Committee Coaches Lifetime Achievement Award. She announced she was leaving her post at Aquatics GB in February 2025.

Figueiredo was named head diving coach for men and women at the University of Tennessee in April 2025, replacing the retiring Dave Parrington.