Meet Shelly O’Brien
Elite Fitness Coach
Professional Coach & Personal Trainer
Shelly O’Brien is a USA Triathlon Level 3 Elite Development Coach and the owner of IconOne Fitness headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. Shelly has coached a wide range of top-ranked triathletes from juniors to professionals. The following list highlights some of Shelly’s extensive resume:
- More than 34 years experience – began coaching and personal training in 1990.
- BS Sports Medicine
- USA Olympic & Paralympic Coach
- Strength & Conditioning Specialist
- Corrective Exercise Certification
- PN1 Nutrition Certification
- 2020 USA Triathlon Coach Educator of the Year
- USA Triathlon Level 3 Elite Certified Coach, one of only (18) individuals to achieve this designation
Shelly’s Background
Originally from Council Bluffs, Iowa, Shelly established herself as a top national competitor in the equestrian world. Gaining recognition through the United States Pony Club (Graduate H-A), Shelly earned two national championship titles and a top six world championship finish in tetrathlon (swim, run, shooting, cross-country equestrian riding).
Collegiate & High School Athlete
During high school, Shelly became one of Iowa’s premier cross-country runners and excelled at the 400 meter distance. She regards her participation in the prestigious Drake relays on two different occasions as a career highlight. She then competed at the collegiate level in swimming, fencing and soccer at Sweet Briar College, where she earned a B.S. in Sports Medicine in May 1994.
Pentathlete
After college Shelly moved to San Antonio, Texas, since at that time the city hosted the Olympic Training Center for modern pentathlon (fencing, swim, run, shooting, cross-country equestrian riding). Her pentathlon career peaked with an individual gold medal performance at the 1995 U.S. Olympic Festival.
Triathlete & Duathlete
Following the International Olympic Committee decision not to include women’s pentathlon in the 1996 Olympic Games, Shelly began looking for another sport in which to compete at the Olympic level. She turned to triathlon.
From 1998-2005 Shelly was a top competitor in triathlon (and duathlon) at the local, regional and national levels. She’s also qualified for and has participated in numerous Team USA rosters for the ITU World Championships in both triathlon and duathlon. She was the USA Triathlon Long Course National Champion in 2004 and 8th at the Long Course World Championships in 2005 (Denmark)
Founder – IconOne Multisport
Drawing from her education in sports medicine, her passion for coaching and her own experience as a multisport athlete, Shelly founded IconOne Multisport, a USAT designated High Performance Team for Elite and Age Group athletes, in 2006.
From 2006-2017 Shelly was instrumental in the early development of the USA Triathlon youth and Junior Olympic Development pipeline. For several years she served as the Regional Athlete Development Coordinator (RADC) recruiting top talent, hosted national Select camps and clinics for those interested in pursuing high level sport, actively taught coaching certifications for USA Triathlon and traveled with elite teams.
After officially retiring the junior team in 2018, Shelly shifted focus to USA Triathlon’s Paratriathlon program. Today she actively coaches and attends events in support of these unique and inspiring athletes.
Founder IconOne Fitness
Although Shelly has enjoyed an amazing personal career in many sports, today she is most passionate about coaching and helping others develop the athlete within. Her personal experiences combined with a quest for knowledge provide a dynamite combination generously shared. Her competitive spirit is channeled into effective training plan design for the individual (or group) she is working with.