20.12.2007

Athletics Australia rewards top coaches

Athletics Australia is pleased to confirm Coach of Merit funding for four outstanding international coaches, following the achievements of their athletes this calendar year.

The recipients are Sharon Hannan, Chris Rawlinson, Max Cherry and Nic Bideau.

The Coach of Merit funding is a welcome acknowledgement for coaches who continue to produce results from outside of the Athletics Australia system of salaried coaches. The results these coaches have produced, while not being full-time professional coaches, is remarkable and Athletics Australia congratulates them on a very successful 2007 competition season.

To qualify as a Coach of Merit, coaches need to have satisfied a range of criteria including having athletes finish the top 10 of the world rankings, based on points for the year-end of 2007.  

Athletics Australia has made a commitment to the ongoing allocation of Coach of Merit funding in recognition that coaches contribute enormously - both personally and professionally - to ensure our athletes are successful at the most elite level of the sport.

As the Beijing Games continue to draw near, there is much to look forward to and we acknowledge the work done by all coaches in preparation for 2008 and beyond.

Sharon Hannan
The year has been remarkable for Sharon and the rising star under her guidance, Sally McLellan. The year started with terrific wins over the domestic season, highlighted by breaking the long-held Australian record for the women’s 100m hurdles.

Under Sharon’s careful tutelage, Sally then took on Asia and Europe culminating in a personal best in the 100m at the Osaka World Championships - the second fastest time eveer by an Australian female. Sally finished the season ranked No. 10 in the world for hurdles and 25th in the world in the 100m.

Sharon considers her journey to have been “simply fantastic”.  Progressing from a Little Athletics coach in Cairns to the coach of an emerging international star is an amazing path and Sharon works constantly to build her knowledge to help Sally achieve her dreams.

The new year has plenty of promise with plans to return to Asia and Europe following a full domestic season, and then of course the Olympics.

“The Coach of Merit funding will be really helpful as 2008 will involve a great deal of travel and opportunity,” she said.  

Athletics Australia wishes Sharon all the best for the year ahead and without doubt, Sally will be one of the athletes we will watch with great interest.

Chris Rawlinson (pictured)
It’s hard not to think of Jana when the name Rawlinson is mentioned though, as they say, behind every great athlete is a great coach and Chris has been the engineer of Jana’s most recent success in 2007. Being a husband and father is enough for most of us, but to take on the added responsibility of coach of one of the world’s truly great athletes is a role Chris simply takes in his stride.

Acknowledging he still has a lot to learn, Chris’ pathway to coaching has been enhanced by his own outstanding record as an athlete. From 1999 to 2004, Chris was ranked in the top 10 for the 400m hurdles and it is that experience as an athlete that has proven so beneficial in his role as a coach.

“During my time as an athlete I was able to access and tap some of the most prestigious coaches in the world for training information that I believed would help me develop,” he said. “Now, as a coach, this information has become invaluable in formulating tailor-made training programs to help Jana achieve her goals on an international stage.”

We are lucky to have Chris and Jana call Australia home, at least for now, and our hope is that through their influence and inspiration, the future of female 400m running and hurdling will be an exciting one. Chris and Jana’s continued support of the domestic season demonstrates their willingness and responsibility to develop the sport locally, in the knowledge that the whole sport will benefit from their success.

2008 will be a huge year in the life of the Rawlinson family and there is no doubt little Cornelis will begin to learn he has two very special parents.

Max Cherry
This is the second year Max has been the recipient of Coach of Merit funding. He continues to be one of the sport’s most enduring coaches, applying his trade for over 30 years.  

As the coach of Donna MacFarlane, 2007 was both a successful and heartbreaking season. Early in the season she was ranked No. 1 in the world, finishing the season ranked No 4.  Before racing in Europe and Asia this season, Donna competed in Hobart, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, again showing great support of the domestic season. It is hard to think of the Osaka World Championships without remembering the sight of Donna struggling around a sun-baked track with only one shoe. The determination she showed and the way she dealt with the disappointment speaks volumes of her character and that of her coach.

In September this year, Max was the recipient of the prestigious Henri Schubert Award, awarded by the ATFCA and Athletics Australia in recognition of service to coaching and coach education.

Max continues to be highly active as a coach in Hobart with many young and old athletes under his tutelage. He has given a lifetime to the sport and he represents a unique breed of coach. Not only does he continue to enhance the performance of one of the world’s great steeplechasers, he is also heavily committed to coaching at the local and club level.

Nic Bideau
Nic, like Max Cherry, has been recognised as a Coach of Merit for the second consecutive year.

After 2006 brought a large amount of success for a number of his athletes, Nic continued his standards in 2007.

Two of his most high-profile charges Craig Mottram and Benita Johnson were crowned Australian 5000m champions in March and Craig’s success continued on the European circuit, highlighted by victory at the IAAF Grand Prix in Ostrava, Czech Republic. The win came over a number of his likely rivals at the World Championships and he was joined in the national team by Benita and steeplechaser Victoria Mitchell.

Benita also completed the London and Chicago marathons in 2007, placing seventh and fifth respectively, and finished the year ranked sixth in the world in women’s road running. Craig capped a solid year, ranked No. 10 in the world over 5000m to 10,000m.

Nic coaches and manages a stable of quality Australian athletes and, in 2007, he shared his experience with others including Rod Griffin and Richard Huggins - mentors of two of our best young long and middle distance talents in Collis Birmingham and Jeff Riseley.

Nic’s international reputation has also ensured the involvement of some of the UK’s quality middle and long distance athletes throughout our domestic season.

Athletics Australia congratulates and is proud to be associated with these Coaches of Merit in 2007. They are well respected and well performed members of our coaching community and without their devotion to the sport and the many hours of voluntary work they do, our international success for 2007 would not have been as significant as it has.  

Further details regarding the Coach of Merit funding and the selection criteria can be found here

By Michael Poulton, National Coaching Co-ordinator