Los Angeles-based esports organization Sentinels announced Friday that it has hired David McGowan as its new performance coach for its Valorant and League of Legends rosters ahead of the 2026 competitive season.
McGowan may be best known as a former Olympic rower and accomplished coach; he competed at the 2004 Athens Olympics and coached over 30 athletes to subsequent Olympic Games. As a coach, he became the youngest to win a World Rowing Championship at 26 when he led the Dutch men’s lightweight eight to gold in 2007. He would go on to serve as head coach for the Netherlands’ and Ireland’s national rowing programs, helping the teams produce multiple World Championship gold medalists, including coaching Ireland to its first women’s World Championship gold medals in 2018 and 2019.
McGowan made the shift to performance coaching in esports in 2021 when he joined Ninjas in Pyjamas as performance coach. He later moved on to a similar role at Talon Esports.
“David’s track record speaks for itself,” said Rob Moore, CEO of Sentinels. “He’s coached athletes to Olympic finals and World Championships. He understands what it takes to perform when everything is on the line. Our Valorant and League of Legends teams are built to compete for championships, and David’s experience developing elite performers will be invaluable as we push for titles in 2026.”
In his new role at Sentinels, McGowan will work with the Valorant and League of Legends rosters throughout the 2026 season to improve their performances on the competitive stage and hopefully secure some championships.
In addition to Valorant and League of Legends, Sentinels currently fields rosters in StarCraft 2 and Apex Legends. The organization is also the home of former Counter-Strike pro Tarik Celik, who has changed his focus to creating content.