18.02.2009

Champ's coach awarded top honour

Athletics Australia is pleased to announce that Mrs Sharon Hannan (QLD) has been awarded the prestigious Coach of Merit award for 2008.

The Coach of Merit award provides welcome recognition to Australian coaches who have achieved outstanding success in international competition and have made a significant contribution to the development of athletics coaching.

To qualify as a Coach of Merit, coaches need to satisfy a range of criteria including currently coaching an athlete who at the end of the season was ranked in the world’s top 10 for their event.

For Sharon, Sally McLellan’s stellar performance to secure the silver medal in the women’s 100m hurdles in Beijing was the highlight of a very successful year that has seen both athlete and coach recognised amongst the world’s best.

Sharon and Sally’s coach/athlete relationship spans more than nine years, dating back to when Sally first started out in the sport as a junior. Fast-forward to 2008 and, aged just 21, Sally posted a personal best time of 12.53 to win an Olympic silver medal in the 100m hurdles and end the year ranked sixth in the world. Her performances show what is really possible when an athlete is encouraged to ‘dare to dream’.

With the assistance of husband Peter Hannan, who guides the athletes’ strength and conditioning, Sharon has shared in Sally’s journey and continued to learn as Sally has developed.

In coaching terms, Sharon is doing it all. Not only is she committed to her own development as a coach, but in 2008 Sharon coordinated 24 coaching courses and lectured at 11 of them. Together, Peter and Sharon have conducted more coaching courses in Queensland than are conducted in all other states combined.

Sharon and Peter are true ‘coach educators’, sharing their knowledge and providing experiences so others can take on the role of coach and inspire athletes to achieve their best. In addition, three of the senior athletes they have coached have now been sufficiently trained to take on teaching courses throughout regional Queensland.

Running a small business in coaching and managing the Gold Coast City athletic facility at Griffith University on the Gold Coast, Sharon provides opportunities for her athletes to coach beginners and juniors. Many of us will have witnessed Sally and others, at school carnivals and state and national championships, working long hours at the warm-up track to ensure the kids are well prepared for competition. This is a role Sharon and Peter continue to encourage amongst all their senior athletes, including McLellan, as they believe such experience gives an athlete a great grounding in the sport as well as ensuring a vibrant club and team culture.

Athletics Australia’s national junior program has also benefited from Sharon’s expertise. As a National Youth Event Coach for Sprints/Relays, Sharon is working with the country’s best developing under-17 and under-19 athletes and their coaches to help them bridge the gap between elite junior and elite senior competition. In addition, in 2008 Sharon had a taste of what’s to come in 2010 when she traveled with the Australian team to the Youth Commonwealth Games in Pune, India as a team coach.  

2008 was a significant year for Sharon Hannan as an Olympic silver medal thrust Sally into the limelight of international competition. Behind the glamour and excitement is the cool head, meticulous planning and great skill of the coach and Athletics Australia is very pleased to again recognise Sharon Hannan as a Coach of Merit.