Eye on the Olympics

By RUSSELL BENNETT
PAKENHAM athletics coach Gordon Talbot will be watching the London games with a particularly keen eye.
He hopes to one day reach the Olympic pinnacle with his own batch of gifted stars.
Talbot, a 44-year-old concrete tester in just his fifth year as an athletics coach, will head to the Oceania Track and Field Championships in Cairns from 27 to 29 June, representing Australia as one of just four team mentors.
The championships will see both junior and senior athletes from more than 20 countries across the region go for gold.
The event will be the last on home soil for some Aussie Olympic medal hopefuls -including walker Claire Tallent – before they head to London, while junior competitors will use the competition as a lead-in to the World Junior Championships in Barcelona, Spain.
Australia’s team will be made up of 60 athletes, and while none are from Talbot’s own Cardinia camp, he is excited to be part of the team atmosphere and proud of his achievement.
“It’s a big step – I’ve only been coaching for a short time,” he said.
“I’ve got five athletes to the junior national championships for the past three years in a row.
“Their achievements and where they place gives you a great feeling.”
Talbot has just six athletes in his stable, but finished ninth in Victorian coaching rankings last year.
“I’m up against guys who have 40 athletes,” he said.
“I’m pretty proud of both my athletes and my coaching – I think I’m headed in the right direction.”
Talbot’s involvement in coaching started through his daughters’ participation at Pakenham Little Athletics. He said he just couldn’t stand on the sidelines and watch, considering the squad was already short of mentors.
He became a distance running coach and ended up running their cross country series.
Talbot, himself, was a youth runner and once the bug bit, he would always go back to the sport.
His coaching strengths lie in his commitment and drive to keep improving his skills and qualifications.
He said he had recently seen a resurgence in the numbers of local little athletes, and the Olympics would further boost interest throughout the area.
Talbot said athletics had their own appeal to youngsters looking to get involved in sport to keep fit and active.
‘There are a lot of kids out there who either can’t, won’t or don’t play team sports,” he said.
“In football for instance – some kids get pushed into it too young but a lot of the little kids don’t like getting pushed around.
“Athletics really is an individual sport, so it’s up to yourself and your own achievements.”
Talbot said 2012 could be a big Olympic year for Aussie athletics, with medal chances across a range of disciplines.
And he said it wouldn’t be long before we saw his own charge, Ben Kelly, represent Australia at an Olympics or Commonwealth Games.
Talbot said other local youngsters including Matt De Bruin, Samantha Prime and Karlee Bailey could also be successful on the international stage.
“The common denominator amongst them is their dedication,” he said.
“But in youngsters you could coach a kid at 13 who isn’t a champion but is dedicated so they can grow into it. At 18 they’ll be a champion.
“Some who are champions at 13, by 18 they’re not doing it any more.
“You’re just always hopeful as a coach that you might have ‘the one’.”
Any local youngsters interested in taking part in local athletics can call Gordon Talbot on 0407 909 126.