It takes a small village of coaches, parents, supporters back home and professionals to get the Australian team ready for the World U20 Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, United States.
A dedicated staff of 26 professionals, from team coaches, to performance specialist, wellbeing manager, biochemist, doctor, physiotherapist, soft tissue massages and more are just part of the process to make sure the team competes to their best at any major championship like this.
Led by Craig Pickering, the staff have been with the World U20s team every step of the way in Santa Barbara the past week to make sure nothing is unturned for the team once they head to Hayward Field to compete.
Lead coach Adam Didyk has been to four Olympics, three Commonwealth Games, a number of World Championships including now two World Athletics U20 Championships.
He has selected a hugely experienced number of team coaches including Olympic Commonwealth Games, and former World Junior competitors Jeff Risely, Brendan Cole, Deborah Schulstad, Alwyn Jones, Lauren Ramsden, Matt Lynch and Tom Gamble.
“My role has been setting up coaches for this, and assisting and putting structures in place to support the personal coaches to do the work and the planning they do to have the athletes well prepared to be here,” he said.
“It feels a privilege to support these coaches, knowing I was one there myself.”
Didyk said it was an honour for his team to put the green and gold on.
“I think for all of us, the reason why we are still in the sport is because the sport has given us so much,” he said.
“This is an opportunity to give something back to the sport and provide an opportunity for those young athletes who are just starting out in their careers.”
One of those team coaches is Leana Joyce, who recently returned from Botswana as one of the relay coaches for the very successful Australian campaign for the World Athletics Relay Championships.
Joyce is the team coach in Eugene for the 400m and 4x400m relay teams.
She said it was a great thing to be working with such an experienced team of colleagues.
“I think looking around the coaching group, there is so much experience,” she said.
“Some have been athletes, some who haven’t.
“It’s been really nice to get some new people and bounce ideas off each other.
The food, ice baths, and heat management are such an important part of any World Championships team.
Dietician and exercise physiologist Bryce Anderson is on this team as a performance specialist, and has been working for the past year and a half to make sure our athletes are as prepared as they can be for the event.
This includes working with local American chefs where the athletes are staying to ensure they are fed properly, and that doesn’t include some of the more typical sugar filled American dishes.
His role also includes heat management, in what is tipped to be very hot conditions in Eugene.
“I love it,” he said of the role.
“You are helping younger athletes and they are so appreciative.
“This is often the first time they have been in a team like this, and it’s important so as they go into the senior ranks, they are not learning for the first time.”
You will often find biomechanist Meghan Keast filming the relay squads as they train to get the perfect change over.
Her filming is then analysed by the coaches and the team, all for one aim – to improve the results in the relays, and figure out the best make up of the team.
“It’s an honour to be invited and to support my country,” she said.
“I enjoy the research and the science behind it.
“I’ve come from an academic background originally, so it’s about how I can apply that to what I do, to make the athletes perform better.”
It’s not only staff who are representing Australia at the two big meets in July and August, the Commonwealth Games and the World Athletics U20 Championships.
There is a group of Australian officials who have proudly represented the country at both events.
Those officials are:
2026 Commonwealth Games, Glasgow (SCO)
World Athletics Start Referee: Helen Roberts (QLD)
Race Walking Judge: Zoe Eastwood- Bryson (SA)
Member of Jury of Appeal: Brian Roe (Tas)
2026 World Under 20 Championships, Eugene (USA)
World Athletics Referee: Peter Roberts (QLD)
The officials all have decades of experience in athletics.
“I am anticipating that this will be my last Commonwealth Games in an official role but it has been an incredible and diverse journey over the last 44 years – one that I have enjoyed immensely,” Brian Roe said.
2026 WORLD ATHLETICS U20 CHAMPIONSHIPS STAFF
Team Leader: Craig Pickering
Team Manager: Stephanie Mundy
Team Manager: Deb Walsham
Operations Lead: Emily Calwell
Competition Manager: Matt Lynch
Media Manager: Luke Dennehy
Performance Support Manager: Robert Mullard
Performance Specialist: Bryce Anderson
Biomechanist: Meghan Keast
Doctor:Victoria Norbury
Physiotherapist: Rochelle Kennedy
Physiotherapist: Joshua McCabe
Soft Tissue Therapist: Brendan Cole
Soft Tissue Therapist: Tamin Davies
Performance Psychologist: Hugo Webster
Wellbeing Manager: Belinda Creer
Lead Coach: Adam Didyk
Team Coach – 400m & 4x400m: Leana Joyce
Team Coach – Combined Events: Stephen Cain
Team Coach – Endurance: Jeff Riseley
Team Coach – Endurance: Keely Waters
Team Coach – Horizontal Jumps: Alwyn Jones
Team Coach – Hurdles: Deb Schulstad
Team Coach – Pole Vault: Lauren Ramsden
Team Coach – Sprints & 4x100m: Tom Gamble
Team Coach – Throws: Sharyn Dickson
By Luke Dennehy, Australian Athletics.
Posted 8/5/2026
