23.04.2009

Beckenham, Di Marco join national youth program

Former Olympic and Commonwealth Games representatives Matt Beckenham and Karyne Di Marco have joined Athletics Australia’s elite junior development program as National Youth Event Coaches.

Beckenham, a former 400m hurdler, takes on the role of national youth hurdles coach while former hammer thrower Di Marco joins the program as national youth hammer throw coach.

The pair, who will work with athletes in the Under 17, Under 19 and Target 2012 development programs, joined the newly named Under 19 Talent Squad for its first training camp at the Australian Institute of Sport at the weekend and for Beckenham, the future of athletics in Australia is bright.

“There’s a really good group of athletes that have been selected to the squad and also a really good group of athletes that have just missed out and that healthy rivalry is a good thing,” he said.

“The athletes who were on the camp at the weekend were very switched-on, very motivated and if we can keep them involved I think we’ll get some good results.

“Junior athletics has been strong in Australia for a number of years and we’ve had results at a world youth and a world junior level and I think the program that has been established in the past couple of years will continue to help transfer these results into the senior competition, which is what we want.”

As part of his role Beckenham will work with the country’s top young hurdlers including Target 2012 athletes Lauren Boden (ACT) and Tristan Thomas (ACT), and Under 19 Talent Squad athletes Sasha Alexeenko (QLD) and Sam Baines (VIC).  

He will also look to work in close association with national youth sprint coach Sharon Hannan, who last year took 100m hurdler Sally McLellan all the way to an Olympic silver medal.

“I see myself as one of the newer breeds of coaches coming through Athletics Australia, I’ve spent quite a number of years as an athlete and competed at the Olympic Games then moved on to become a scholarship coach here at the Institute and in the last couple of years tried to establish myself as a private coach,” Beckenham said.

“I’m hoping that I can come into the program with an understanding of what the athletes are about to go though in terms of their athletic career but also in terms of their understandings with their personal coaches and try to give them an edge or a little bit of assistance that can hopefully support them in their development and try to get them some results.

“I’m looking to work as closely as I can with Sharon and I’m hoping it will be a real positive for the program if we can work together. We both have athletes that are sprinters and hurdlers so I think if we can work in partnership it should help the program to get some good results.”

The former elite-level hurdler said the next few years would prove a critical time for athletes making the progression to the senior ranks.

“It’s a really difficult period for a lot of athletes at that age, that transition from junior to senior competition when you’re going from being the cream of the crop, the best junior there is, to competing against the older athletes who you look up to and admire and sometimes it can leave you a little bit awestruck being a senior athlete and having to race your heroes,” Beckenham said.

“It’s an interesting time to try and establish goals that are realistic but still challenge the athletes to work and move into the next level, which for a lot of these athletes is junior international competition.

“The role that we have is to make sure we can convert these athletes into senior elite athletes and that’s a matter of keeping them in the sport and to do that we need to keep them happy and keep them injury free by making sure they become a lot more professional in their training and their attitude towards their sport.

“If we do that then we’re more likely to get the small stepping stones of improvement and the athletes are more likely to stay in the sport and still be competing when they’re 23 or 24 and that’s when we start to see results on an international scale.”

Fellow former national representative Karyne Di Marco will work with Australia’s next generation of hammer throwers including Under 19 Talent Squad members Lara Neilson (QLD), Huw Peacock (TAS) and Melissa Prior (NSW) as national youth hammer throw coach.

Di Marco said the athletes now moving through the ranks of the sport in Australia made for an exciting future.

“I believe these athletes could have a good future ahead of them if they continue to develop their knowledge and understanding of what it takes to be a world-class athlete,’ she said.

“I hope to see these athletes reach their performance goals over the next 12 months leading into the world junior championships and in order to do this they will require significant improvements on their distances and that will come with hard work and commitment.

The New South Wales-based coach will offer a wealth of knowledge to athletes in the Under 17, Under 19 and Target 2012 squads.

“I'm hoping to share my experiences with the athletes and draw on what I've learned throughout my career,” Di Marco said.

“My focus will be on developing a more committed approach to training and other lifestyle factors that influence performance.”

Di Marco, who takes over the role of national youth hammer throw coach from Sean Carlin, said the junior talent development pathway provided invaluable support to young athletes.

“The support offered allows athletes to develop a support base of professionals and coaches that can help give them the guidance needed to progress through the ranks,” she said.

“It allows them to gather information from other athletes and coaches that may enable them to make adjustments to their own ideas and training.”

Beckenham and Di Marco face a huge year of athletics action, with the World University Games and world youth championships just months away.