By Greg Blood

The recent documentary Forging Champions has shone a light on several outstanding Australian athletes assisted by the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) that have had significant success on the world sporting stage. This review examines themes, messages and omissions from the documentary.

I had a small involvement at the early stages of documentary as part of my research in the history of the AIS. My specific involvement was by providing background information and being interviewed for about 30 minutes regarding its early history and notable AIS athletes. I’m sure the ASC and the producers would have had extensive range of stories to highlight its achievements over 40 years.

ASC CEO Kieran Perkins stated “Forging Champions honours more than four decades of innovation and sporting excellence through the voices of iconic Australians, while looking ahead to how the AIS will continue to support and inspire the next generation of Australian sporting champions.” In other words, by highlighting past AIS athletes’ achievements and stories, it demonstrate how the AIS is likely to assist athletes on the road to the Brisbane 2032 Olympics and Paralympics. Also, it is justifying the $250 million investment in upgrading facilities in Canberra. The future role of the AIS in Canberra has been questioned by many since the Winning Edge strategy in 2012 ceased AIS scholarships.

Whilst working at the AIS, there was always the pressure to highlight AIS medals at the Olympics, Paralympics, Commonwealth Games and World Championships. This was the tangible way of justifying the substantial investment into the AIS. However, I often thought the best way to highlighting the investment was through athlete journeys as these provide insights into success and failure. Forging Champions took a story telling approach in highlighting specific ways the AIS has assisted champion athletes.

There were numerous outstanding AIS athletes that the documentary could have focussed on. However, the selected athletes covered a range of sport programs and locations.

• Athletes that trained full time at the Canberra campus – swimmers Michael Klim, Petria Thomas, basketballers Lauren Jackson, Andrew Bogut, netballer Liz Ellis, cyclist Cadel Evans and track sprinter Patrick Johnson.
• Athletes that trained outside the Canberra campus – cricketers Shane Watson and Michael Clarke and track cyclist Anna Meares in Adeliade, aerial skiers Danielle Scott and Alisa Camplin as part of the Winter Institute.
• Athletes that attended the AIS on regular training camps – rower James Tomkins, rugby player John Eales and AFL player Mark Murphy
• Paralympic athletes that were provided training and coaching support and equipment design by the AIS – wheelchair athletes Louise Sauvage, Madison de Rozario and Dylan Alcott and rummer Michael Roeger

Athletes that could have been included due to their AIS journey –  

• Olympic rowing gold medallist Megan Marcks (new Still) who was identified through an AIS talent identification program.
• Olympic race walker Jared Talent, winner of four Olympic medals including gold, who transitioned from a junior athlete to Olympic champion.
• Olympic archery gold medallist Simon Fairweather who broke the reign of Korean and American archers to win gold at the 2000 Olympics through the coaching of Koren Kisik Lee.

The omission of these and many other athletes highlighted a wide range of stories that could have been told. Maybe a second series could be done.

I have had feedback from many people outside the high performance sport world stating that Forging Champions highlighted the many different and interesting ways the AIS assisted these athletes.  Examples included:

• The role of biomechanics in assisting stroke technique – Michael Klim changing his freestyle stroke, James Tomkins receiving feedback during training on stroke force, cricketers Watson and Clarke receiving biomechanical feedback on batting and bowling,
• 2004 Athens Olympic gold medallist Anna Meares receiving strategies from her coach and psychologist in dealing with the pressure and expectations of going into the Olympic final as world champion and record holder.
• The narrow margins in winning Olympic gold – the Oarsome Foursome in 1996 and Anna Meares in 2004. How the one percenter in preparation can be the difference.
• The importance of Paralympic gold medallists Madison de Rozario and Dylan Alcott in having a wheelchair designed to optimise their performance.
• The Adelaide based cricketers Shane Watson and Michael Clarke and track cyclist Anna Meares highlighted the importance of observing athletes in other sports training whilst in Adelaide.
• Lauren Jackson’s interview threw light on how the AIS environment helped her become somewhat accepted with her height – in Albury her height stood out and she was subjected to bullying. At the AIS in Canberra, there were many other tall athletes in many sports, and she felt a sense of normality.
• The importance of understanding the value of a team. Lauren Jackson was so proud of the young AIS women’s basketball team in winning the WNBL title in 1998-1999. Besides Jackson, this team included many players that became household basketball names – Penny Taylor, Belinda Snell, Kristen Veal and Suzy Batkovic. Michael Klim stated his best gold medal was the Men’s 4 x 200m freestyle at the 2000 Olympics as included AIS teammates Bill Kirby and Todd Pearson. Not the famous 4 x 100 m freestyle relay.
• Aerial skiers – Olympic gold medallist Alisa Camplin and Danielle Scott highlighted the improved facility support – Camplin jumping into muddy dams infested with leaches to Scott now using the world class Geoff Henke Olympic Winter Training Centre in Brisbane.
• Sprinter Patrick Johnson being identified by the AIS at the University Games in Canberra even though he had limited training and coaching. The AIS helped to Johnson to run 9.93 in 2003 in Japan – still 100 m men’s national record.

In the leadup to the Forging Champions, there were athletes that did not want it to be broadcast as they were physically and psychologically abused whilst at the AIS and it would “trigger some people, leading to harm if it presents a rosy image of the institute”.  The documentary did not cover this issue. Nor did it cover the funding mismanagement or doping inquiry of the 1980’s. Like many organisations, the AIS was not without its imperfections or controversaries.  These could have been addressed and highlight how the AIS has acknowledged and improved its practices as a result of these serious integrity issues.

One aspect of the documentary that made me proud was the use of AIS historical images and footage. Most these were taken and managed by the National Sport Information (now Clearinghouse for Sport). It was great to see images of the young Lauren Jackson, Andrew Bogut and Michael Klim or Dr Allan Hahn in the physiology laboratory. It highlighted the importance of an organisations collecting and maintaining this type of information.

Also, it took me back to 1984 when the first AIS documentary Ultimate Performance was produced. This was done in the early life of the AIS – there was the need to promote the role of the AIS to the sporting and general community. Take the clock forward forty years, Forging Champions in just over 60 minutes highlighted several examples of how it became a foundation of high performance sport in Australia through innovation and support.

Story telling is important in many fields of endeavour. The journey of an athlete highlights successes and failures, support, accolades, obstacles and at times mistreatment.  These stories are of interest to the general community but importantly provide insights for any up and coming athletes that aspire to be the best.