Athletics Australia has today announced the coaches who have been selected to travel with the team to the Rio Olympic Games later in the year.

“Congratulations to the nine coaches appointed. The role of Team Coach is a great honour and this invitation is a reflection of the huge personal investment these individuals have made to our sport,” Simon Nathan, Athletics Section Team Leader, said.

“The role requires our team coaches to remain in constant contact with the selected and shadow squad athletes and their personal coaches in their allocated events, updating the Head Coach on their planning and progress. They will attend to the staging camp in Florida and, subject to final athlete selections, be with the Australian team in Rio.”

“As we are all aware, the logistics of the Olympic Games can be challenging so appointed team coaches are not guaranteed a specific level of accreditation in Rio. Decisions in this area will be made with the best interests of the whole team in mind and we will provide further updates on this once we have a clearer picture of final team to compete. We will also be able to accredit personal coaches to complement the Team Coach.”

The coaches are a vital component of the overall success of the team and as such, they all bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the team.

Sandro Bisetto – Vertical Jumps, Combined Events
Gary Bourne – Horizontal Jumps
Adam Didyk – Steeplechase, Middle and Long Distance
Adam Larcom – Men’s Sprints, 400m, Relays
Ash Mahoney – Women’s Sprints, Hurdles
Scott Martin – Shot Put, Discus
Phil Saunders – Middle and Long Distance
Claire Tallent – Race Walk
Grant Ward -Javelin