From ballet and V8 supercars to flight simulators and the circus, AusTriathlon is leaving no stone unturned in a bid to develop a coaching pipeline for ultimate Olympic success.
AusTriathlon’s NextGen Coach Development Program, launched this year, will build a pipeline of high-performance coaches equipped to contribute to Australia’s performance ambitions for the Olympics in 2028, 2032 and beyond.
The inaugural cohort of 11, represents one of the most diverse and accomplished coaching groups assembled in Australian triathlon, spanning Olympians, World Champions, leading pathway specialists, applied performance scientists and nationally recognised junior and para‑sport coaches.
With members based across Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, the group blends elite international racing experience with science‑led coaching, long‑course expertise, para‑sport leadership and a deep commitment to athlete wellbeing and development. Together, they bring the leadership, technical skill and lived experience needed to shape the next generation of Australian triathlon talent.
Matt Hauser broke a 20-year drought to claim Australia a historic World Championship last year, and AusTriathlon’s program is aimed at ensuring more long-term success for our athletes.
The immersive coach development initiative is designed to equip emerging coaches with world-class leadership, performance and wellbeing skills as part of a long-term strategy leading into the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.
AusTriathlon says the initiative is about more than medals.
“It’s about developing values-driven leaders who can support athletes as whole people,” High Performance Coach Developer Lúcás Ó’Ceallacháin said.
“We want to lift the national standard of coaching ahead of a once-in-a-generation home Olympic Games.
“This program is designed to create extraordinary performances, it is designed to future proof triathlon and give our coaches the best possible experiences to become leaders – that in turn will help our athletes.”
Unlike traditional classroom learning, AusTriathlon uses a social learning approach to place coaches inside elite performance environments, challenging them physically, mentally and emotionally while exposing them to best practice from across sport, science and high-performance culture.
Each of the six Labs blends triathlon-specific coaching with immersive experiences at world-class organisations including Queensland Ballet and Cirque du Soleil, alongside professional sporting environments and performance science facilities.
The program also embeds Australia’s high-performance coaching framework, supported by the Australian Institute of Sport, ensuring every participant receives an Individual Coach Development Plan tailored to their strengths, goals and daily training environments
A major focus of the program is translating learnings directly into athlete outcomes, helping coaches reduce injury risk, improve performance consistency, and build healthier high-performance environments for young triathletes across the country.
By the end of the program, graduates are expected to be contributing directly to Australia’s high-performance system as emerging leaders. Strengthening daily training environments and helping prepare the next wave of elite triathletes for Brisbane 2032 and beyond.
Inaugural Next Gen Coaching Cohort
- Daniel Unger
- Non Stanford-Royle
- Chris Rawling
- James Sweeney
- Sam Janssen
- Rina Hill
- Jack Sosinski
- Lachlan Kerin
- Adam Beckworth
- Anel Radford
- Aaron Royle
