10 months ago
Australian hurdles prima Michelle Jenneke has paid tribute to her mentor aft legendary Australian athletics coach Gary Bourne died this week.
Bourne, 68, was the former Queensland Athletics President and is an Athletics Australia Life Member.
Australia's astir successful horizontal jumps coach, Bourne was nan mastermind down nan Australian records of Olympic medallist Mitchell Watt and Bronwyn Thompson, nan world title golden and world grounds of Carlee Beattie, and he besides guided Henry Frayne to Commonwealth silver, among galore different achievements.
Jenneke was 1 of galore athletes to use from Bourne's guidance and she posted a rubbing tribute to her 'amazing man' connected Instagram.
'Rest successful bid Gary. I'm incredibly fortunate to person had this astonishing man arsenic my coach and mentor,' she posted.
'More than conscionable a awesome coach he was wise, funny, benignant and caring, and we will each miss him dearly. Thank you for everything Gaz.'
Australian hurdling prima Michelle Jenneke has paid tribute to her mentor Gary Bourne (pictured together) who passed distant this week aged 68
Jenneke described Bourne arsenic 'an astonishing man' who was a adjacent friend arsenic good arsenic 1 of her coaches
Thanks to Bourne, Jenneke is backmost connected nan world shape wherever she reached nan semi-finals astatine nan World Championships this year
Athletics Australia president Jane Flemming said nan full way and section organization successful Australia would beryllium impacted by nan nonaccomplishment of Bourne.
'Gary Bourne's passing is an tremendous nonaccomplishment to Australian athletics,' Flemming said.
'In nan world of athletics, Gary was considered a jumps guru.
'He was caput coach of nan National Jumps Centre astatine nan QAS but was much than a coach. He was besides a mentor, pedagogue and a guiding ray that led countless athletes to soar to nan highest levels of Olympic, world and Commonwealth rankings.
'His dedication, selflessness, unwavering passion and committedness transformed athletes into champions and nurtured individuals into outstanding quality beings.
'Gary's bequest will everlastingly echo successful nan hearts of nan Queensland and Australian athletics community, reminding america that a coach's greatness is not conscionable successful records surgery but successful lives touched and inspired.
'He leaves down a void successful Australian athletics that will beryllium difficult to fill, but his power will proceed to animate generations successful nan lead-up to Brisbane 2032 and beyond.'
Jenneke became a family sanction successful 2012 because of her 'jiggling' pre-race routine
Jenneke struggled astatine nan 2016 Olympics done wounded but made a immense comeback astatine nan 2022 World Athletics Championships
Jenneke has struggled to shed her estimation for her pre-race dancing but is now successful awesome form
Jenneke, known for her viral pre-race creation astatine nan 2012 World Junior Championships, faced challenges aft nan 2016 Rio Games.
In Rio, she vanished sixth successful her 100m hurdles heat, and her run ended abruptly. Australian way and section coach Craig Hilliard criticised her style and suggested distractions mightiness person contributed to her performance.
'It's thing that I request to talk pinch her and spell done pinch her, pinch her program. She surely didn't get present successful nan style she should person arrived in,' Hilliard said successful 2016.
But Jenneke fired back, saying it was wounded and not mediocre mentation that costs her successful Rio.
'I came into nan campy for nan Olympics successful awesome style and I conscionable happened to flare up an wounded while I was complete there,' she said.
'I didn't title good astatine nan Olympics but it didn't person thing to do pinch maine not being good.
'The comments from Craig were unfair, particularly from personification who knew precisely what nan business really was.'
In 2017, Jenneke participated successful her 2nd World Championships, making it to nan semi-finals and finishing seventh pinch a clip of 13.250. In nan 2018 Commonwealth Games, she represented Australia, securing 4th spot pinch a clip of 13.07.
Covid lockdowns meant that Jenneke's profession was put connected clasp until she burst retired of nan blocks precocious pinch her fastest times ever
Now, Jenneke is hoping to suffice for nan Paris Olympics and scope an elusive last successful nan hurdles
After a hiatus partially enforced by Covid shutdowns, Jenneke staged a comeback successful 2022, impressively progressing to nan semi-finals astatine nan World Championships pinch her fastest clip successful 7 years, clocking 12.84 successful nan heats and moreover faster, 12.66, successful nan semi-finals.
In 2023, she secured a spot astatine nan World Athletics Championships successful Budapest wherever she was named 1 of 4 captains to lead Australia.
She reached nan Championships by winning nan 100m hurdles arena astatine nan 2023 Chemist Warehouse Australian Track and Field Championships in Brisbane pinch a sizzling clip of 12.77, defeating Celeste Mucci and Hannah Jones.
Jenneke precocious to nan semi-finals successful Budapest alongside compatriot Celeste Mucci. She vanished 5th successful that heat, not accelerated capable to scope nan final.
She is now wished to find her measurement onto nan Australian Olympic Team for Paris 2024.
