Australian hurdles star Michelle Jenneke has paid tribute to her mentor after 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 most successful horizontal jumps coach, Bourne was the mastermind behind the Australian records of Olympic medallist Mitchell Watt and Bronwyn Thompson, the world championship gold and world record of Carlee Beattie, and he also guided Henry Frayne to Commonwealth silver, among many other achievements.
Jenneke was one of many athletes to benefit from Bourne’s guidance and she posted a touching tribute to her ‘amazing man’ on Instagram.
‘Rest in peace Gary. I’m incredibly lucky to have had this amazing man as my coach and mentor,’ she posted.
‘More than just a great coach he was wise, funny, kind and caring, and we will all miss him dearly. Thank you for everything Gaz.’
Australian hurdling star Michelle Jenneke has paid tribute to her mentor Gary Bourne (pictured together) who passed away this week aged 68
Jenneke described Bourne as ‘an amazing man’ who was a close friend as well as one of her coaches
Thanks to Bourne, Jenneke is back on the world stage where she reached the semi-finals at the World Championships this year
Athletics Australia president Jane Flemming said the entire track and field community in Australia would be impacted by the loss of Bourne.
‘Gary Bourne’s passing is an enormous loss to Australian athletics,’ Flemming said.
‘In the world of athletics, Gary was considered a jumps guru.
‘He was head coach of the National Jumps Centre at the QAS but was more than a coach. He was also a mentor, educator and a guiding light that led countless athletes to soar to the highest levels of Olympic, world and Commonwealth rankings.
‘His dedication, selflessness, unwavering passion and commitment transformed athletes into champions and nurtured individuals into outstanding human beings.
‘Gary’s legacy will forever echo in the hearts of the Queensland and Australian athletics community, reminding us that a coach’s greatness is not just in records broken but in lives touched and inspired.
‘He leaves behind a void in Australian athletics that will be difficult to fill, but his influence will continue to inspire generations in the lead-up to Brisbane 2032 and beyond.’
Jenneke became a household name in 2012 because of her ‘jiggling’ pre-race routine
Jenneke struggled at the 2016 Olympics through injury but made a huge comeback at the 2022 World Athletics Championships
Jenneke has struggled to shed her reputation for her pre-race dancing but is now in great form
Jenneke, known for her viral pre-race dance at the 2012 World Junior Championships, faced challenges after the 2016 Rio Games.
In Rio, she finished sixth in her 100m hurdles heat, and her campaign ended abruptly. Australian track and field coach Craig Hilliard criticised her shape and suggested distractions might have contributed to her performance.
‘It’s something that I need to discuss with her and go through with her, with her program. She certainly didn’t arrive here in the shape she should have arrived in,’ Hilliard said in 2016.
But Jenneke fired back, saying it was injury and not poor preparation that cost her in Rio.
‘I came into the camp for the Olympics in great shape and I just happened to flare up an injury while I was over there,’ she said.
‘I didn’t race well at the Olympics but it didn’t have anything to do with me not being good.
‘The comments from Craig were unfair, especially from someone who knew exactly what the situation actually was.’
In 2017, Jenneke participated in her second World Championships, making it to the semi-finals and finishing seventh with a time of 13.250. In the 2018 Commonwealth Games, she represented Australia, securing fourth place with a time of 13.07.
Covid lockdowns meant that Jenneke’s career was put on hold until she burst out of the blocks recently with her fastest times ever
Now, Jenneke is hoping to qualify for the Paris Olympics and reach an elusive final in the hurdles
After a hiatus partially enforced by Covid shutdowns, Jenneke staged a comeback in 2022, impressively progressing to the semi-finals at the World Championships with her fastest time in seven years, clocking 12.84 in the heats and even faster, 12.66, in the semi-finals.
In 2023, she secured a spot at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest where she was named one of four captains to lead Australia.
She reached the Championships by winning the 100m hurdles event at the 2023 Chemist Warehouse Australian Track and Field Championships in Brisbane with a sizzling time of 12.77, defeating Celeste Mucci and Hannah Jones.
Jenneke advanced to the semi-finals in Budapest alongside compatriot Celeste Mucci. She finished fifth in that heat, not fast enough to reach the final.
She is now determined to find her way onto the Australian Olympic Team for Paris 2024.
