By Greg Blood

Previously coaches of Australian medallists at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics was published. This list recognises Australian coaching success at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Deservedly athletes receive great recognition and adultation but it is important to recognise coaches who play an important role in athlete success and assist in moving their sport forward.

Coach information below sourced from – AOC Paris Team Biographies , Paris Olympic Athlete Biographies and internet searches. Corrections welcome as it was sometimes difficult to determine several athletes coaches.

Background of Medal Coaches

Medalling Winning Women Coaches

The Australian Institute of Sport has invested resources to increase he number of Olympic women coaches. Only seven out fifty three medals were won by directly women coaches –

• Myriam Fox-Jerusalmi (Slalom Canoeing – Jessica Fox 2 Gold & Noemie Fox 1 Gold)
• Felicity Wardlaw (Cycling – Grace Brown 1 Gold)
• Bec Rippon & Taryn Woods (Women’s Water Polo – 1 Silver)
• Sandy Brondello & Cheryl Chambers (Women’s Basketball – 1 Bronze)
• Kim Smith (Shooting – Penny Smith 1 Bronze)

Coaches – Athlete and Coach Medallists

Olympic medallists as Australian Olympic medal coaches –

• Myriam Jerusalmi-Fox (France) – Jessica Fox 2 Gold & Noemie Fox 1 Gold
• Rafael Trujillo (Spain) – Matt Wearn – 1 Gold
• Ash Delaney – Kyle Chalmers – 2 Silver, 1 Bronze
• Bec Rippon & Taryn Woods – Australian Women’s Water Polo – 1 Silver
• Sandy Brondello – Australian Women’s Basketball – 1 Bronze

Olympians as Medal Coaches

These Australian Olympians coached athletes to medal success –

• Paul Burgess (Athletics) – Nina Kennedy 1 Gold
• Dale Stevenson (Athletics) – Matthew Denny 1 Bronze
• Eddie Denis (Water Polo) – Australian Women’s Water Polo 1 Silver

International Coaches

I have previously reflected on international coaches impact on Australian sport. These medal winning coaches were developed outside Australia –

• Myriam Jerusalmi-Fox (French Slalom Canoeing) – Jessica Fox 2 Gold, Noemie Fox 1 Gold
• Rafael Trujillo (Spanish Sailing) – Matt Wearn 1 Gold
• Matt Crampton (British Cycling ) – Matthew Richardson & Team Sprint 1 Silver, 1 Bronze)
• Bernd Boukhahn (German Swimming – Moesha Johnson 1 Silver)
• Ady Hincliffe (British Diving) – Maddison Keeney 1 Silver)
• Ben Higson (British Swimming) – Iona Anderson 1 Silver, 1 Bronze ; Joshua Young 1 Silver)

Multiple Medal Coaches

Coaches whose athletes won more than one medal either individually or part of a relay –

• Dean Boxall (Swimming) – 8 athletes
• Myriam Fox-Jerusalmi (Slalom Canoeing) – 2 athletes
• Michael Bohl (Swimming) – 3 athletes
• Jimmy Owens (Sprint Canoeing) – 6 athletes
• Brent Vallance (Walks – Athletics) – 2 athletes
• Matt Crampton (Track Cycling) & Dr Scott Gardner (Track Cycling) – 3 athletes
• Vince Raleigh (Swimming) – 2 Athletes – 3 medals
• Richard Scarce (Swimming) – 2 Athletes
• Mick Palfrey (Swimming) – 2 athletes
• Ben Higson (Swimming) – 2 athletes
• Damian Jones (Swimming) – 2 athletes

Australian Olympic Medals and Coach Recognition

Athletics

• Nina Kennedy –1 Gold – Coach Paul Burgess
• Jessica Hull – 1 Silver -Coach Simon Hull (father)
• Nicola Olyslagers – 1 Silver – Coach Matt Horsnell
• Eleanor Patterson – 1 Bronze  – Coach Alex Stewart
• Jemima Montag – 2 Bronze – Coach Brent Vallance
• Rhydian Cowley – 1 Bronze – Coach Brent Vallance
• Matthew Denny – 1 Bronze – Coach Dale Stevenson

Basketball

• Australian Women’s Team ‘Opals’ – 1 Bronze – Head Coach Sandy Brondello ; Assistants Cheryl Chambers, Paul Gorris, Shannon Seebohm

Boxing

• Charlie Senior – 1 Bronze – Trainer – Justin Lacey
• Caitlin Parker – 1 Bronze – Trainer Marcos Amado and Peter Wilkinson

Canoeing

• Jessica Fox – 2 Gold – Coach Myriam Fox-Jerusalmi
• Noemie Fox – 1 Gold – Coach Myriam Fox-Jerusalmi
• Men’s K4 500 m – Riley Fitzsimmons, Pierre van der Westhuyzen, Jackson Collins, Noah Havard – 1 Silver – Coach Jimmy Owens
• Men’s K2 500 m – Jean van der Westhuyzen, Thomas Green – 1 Bronze – Coach Jimmy Owens

Cycling

• Grace Brown – 1 Gold – Felicity Wardlaw
• Saya Sakakibara – 1 Gold – Coaches Luke Madill & Toby Edwards
• Men’s Team Pursuit – Oliver Bleddyn, Kelland O’Brien, Sam Welsford , Connor Leahy – Coach Tim Decker
• Natalya Diehm – 1 Bronze – Wade Bootes
• Matthew Richardson – 2 Silver – Coach Matt Crampton (British) & Dr Scott Gardner
• Men’s Team Sprint – Matthew Glaetzer, Leigh Hoffman, Matthew Richardson – 1 Bronze- Coach Matt Crampton (British) & Dr Scott Gardner
• Matthew Glaetzer – 1 Bronze – Coach Matt Crampton (British) & Dr Scott Gardner

Diving

• Maddison Keeney – 1 Silver – Ady Hinchliffe (British)

• Equestrian

• Chris Burton -1 Silver – ?

Rowing

• Jessica Morrison & Annabelle McIntyre – 1 Bronze – Coach John Keogh

Sailing

• Matt Wearn – 1 Gold – Coach Rafa Trujillo (Spanish) & National Coach Michael Blackburn
• Grae Morris – 1 Silver – Coach Brett Morris &  National  Coach Arthur Brett

Shooting

• Penny Smith – 1 Bronze – Coach Michael Smith (AUS), Kim Smith (AUS ; National Renae Birgan

Skateboarding

• Arisa Trew – 1 Gold – Coach Trevor Ward
• Keegan Palmer -1 Gold – Coach Alex Donnini

Surfing

• Jack Robinson – 1 Silver – ?

Swimming

Swimming won 19 medals – 7 gold, 9 silver and 3 bronze medals. Rohan Taylor was the Head Coach. Swimmers that won medals and their coaches –

• Mollie O’Callaghan – 3 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze – Coach Dean Boxall
• Kaylee McKeown – 2 Gold , 2 Silver, 1 Bronze – Coach Michael Bohl           
• Ariarne Titmus – 2 Gold, 2 Silver – Coach Dean Boxall
• Shayna Jack – 2 Gold – Coach Dean Boxall
• Meg Harris – 1 Gold, 2 Silver  – Coach Damien Jones
• Emma McKeon – 1 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze * – Coach Michael Bohl
• Cameron McEvoy – 1 Gold – Coach Tim Lane
• Bronte Campbell – 1 Gold * – Coach Shannon Rollason
• Olivia Wunsch – 1 Gold* – Coach Michaela Pattinson
• Lani Pallister – 1 Gold – Coach Michael Bohl
• Jamie Perkins – 1 Silver * – Coach Dean Boxall
• Brianna Throssell – 1 Gold – Coach Dean Boxall
• Zac Stubblety-Cook – 1 Silver, 1 Bronze * – Coach Vince Raleigh
• Kyle Chalmers – 2 Silver, 1 Bronze *– Coach Ash Delaney & Peter Bishop
• Elijah Winninton – 1 Silver, 1 Bronze – Coach Dean Boxall
• Jack Cartwright – 1 Silver – Coach Dean Boxall
• Flynn Southam – 1 Silver, 1 Bronze – Coach Chris Mooney
• Kai Taylor – 1 Silver, 1 Bronze * – Dean Boxall
• Moesha Johnson – 1 Silver – Bernd Boukhahn (German)
• William Yang – 1 Silver * – Coach Bobby Hurley
• Iona Anderson – 1 Silver, 1 Bronze – Coach Ben Higson
• Ella Ramsay – 1 Silver * – Coach Vince Raleigh
• Alexandria Perkins – 1 Silver * – Mick Palfrey
• Jenna Strauch – 1 Silver – Coach Richard Scarce
• Zac Incerti – 1 Bronze * – Coach Mick Palfrey
• Thomas Neill – 1 Bronze – Coach Damien Jones
• Max Giuliani – 1 Bronze – Coach Richard Scarce
• Matthew Temple – 1 Bronze – Coach Wayne Lawes
• Joshua Young – 1 Silver – Coach Ben Higson

(*) Heat medallist

Tennis

• Matt Ebden & John Peers – 1 Gold – Coaches Omar Hejleh , David Collins (English for Peers) , Captain Lleyton Hewitt

Water Polo

• Australian Women’s Team ‘Stingers’ – 1 Silver – Head Coach Bec Rippon, Assistants Taryn Woods & Eddie Dennis

? Coach was not determined through research

Concluding points

• Dean Boxall, Michael Bohl and Myriam Jerusalmi-Fox are now among Australia’s greatest gold medal winning coaches.
• Australian developed coaches were responsible for the majority of Australian Olympic medals.
• International coaches are still contributing to medal success – there had been a decline in their impact from their success – 2000 to 2008. However, several sports might seek to expanding their international coaching expertise in the lead up to Brisbane 2032.
• Female athletes won 30 (including 13 gold) medals and part of 2 mixed medals. There is still an under representation of women Olympic coaches particularly in high medals sports of swimming and athletics. The ASC / AIS is continuing to address this issue. Water polo and basketball women’s teams led by women coaches achieved medal success.
• The issue of Australian coaches supporting international athletes was raised again through swimming coach Mick Palfrey’s involvement with Korea’s Woo-Min.
• Several Australian coaches contributed to the success of competitor nations: field hockey coaches Alyson Annan and Richard Charlesworth led China to the silver medal and Dennis Cottrell continued to assist Chinese Swimming with Zhanle Pan winning the 100 m freestyle in a world record. Banned swimming and triathlon coach Brian Sutton trained Switzerland’s Julie Derron to silver medal in the women’s triathlon. Don Abnett as Phillipines head coach led them to two boxing bronze medals.
• National sports organisations should improve the promotion of successful and national coaches. I discovered many of them have limited information on their websites. Athletics Australia leads the way in always promoting coaches when teams are selected.