| dc.description.abstract | Australian Olympic-level track and field (T&F) has enjoyed a high profile over several generations and many of Australia’s athletic greats are publicly revered. Since the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games (OG), government funding for T&F has increased sevenfold—the majority being channelled into Athletics Australia’s (AA) high-performance programs to improve Australia’s standing at major international championships. However, over this period Australia has dropped in the world T&F rankings and more than two thirds of athletes who represent Australia at the World junior T&F championships [WJC] never make a senior international team. AA’s funding is contingent on athletes’ performances at both the junior and senior global level, but apart from two reports by AA (2004 & 2015), very little research has been conducted in relation to the development of athletes capable of competing on the world stage. Therefore, this thesis seeks to identify and understand—from the perspective of elite Australian T&F athletes and coaches—the major factors influencing the development and trajectory of Australian athletes to the highest global level in the sport (OG and World Track and Field Championships [WC]). The thesis consists of three separate but linked studies that examine the holistic development of elite Australian athletes. As this thesis focuses on the athletes’ development from junior sporting ranks through to the elite senior level, Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Theory of Human Development provides the underpinning framework to examine the processes (e.g., training activities), personal factors (e.g., psychological strengths) and contextual factors (e.g., family, peers, coaches) acting over time to influence an athlete’s development. Study 1 used a quantitative survey to collect data about the development and success of 73 Australian T&F athletes who competed at the OG or WC between 1956 and 2013. Results indicated that the key influencing factors during development included later specialisation in T&F, involvement in other sports during adolescence and strong social support networks. Also instrumental in athlete development was growing up in a major city and completing tertiary studies. The analysis indicated that athletes progressed to the elite level through different pathways, with the most common being a linear pathway from junior to elite senior athlete. This study also highlighted the importance of the talent development environment (e.g., appropriate training, competition opportunities, social support and good coaching) in facilitating the successful transition of a talented junior through to elite senior levels in T&F. In Study 2, semi-structured interviews were used to elicit a deeper understanding of the developmental experiences of 14 elite junior T&F athletes who transitioned into elite senior careers. Based on the Developmental Model of Sport Participation (DMSP), factors specific to development during the specialising (ages 12–15 yrs) and investment (16 + yrs) stages were investigated. Results revealed training, competition, social support and personal factors as the four key dimensions of talent development during these stages. During the specialising stages, commensurate with the DMSP, athletes were able to balance T&F training with involvement in various other sports and did not focus on their main senior event or fully invest in specialised intense training until towards the end of the investment stage. Experiences at junior international competitions, support from parents and peers and coaching appropriate to their developmental stage were also instrumental in their successful development. Study 3 also used semi-structured interviews to elicit the views of Australian T&F coaches’ in relation to key factors instrumental in the successful development of elite Australian T&F athletes. This study involved 12 coaches who collectively coached over 100 athletes to international level (junior and senior), including several global medallists; thus they provided a comprehensive and unique viewpoint. Coaches perceived athlete characteristics and how talent was fostered through coaching as vital to successful development, and also highlighted several barriers facing athletes on their upward trajectory. Characteristics such as having naturally sound biomechanics and the ability to compete and cope under pressure, together with a strong work ethic and the determination to persevere through the tough times, were some important qualities coaches associated with successful athletes. Fostering talent required access to coaches who provided stage-appropriate training matched to the physical and psychological needs of the individual and facilitated strong coach–athlete relationships and a positive training environment. Conversely, coaches identified the lack of unity between the two main athletic bodies (Little Athletics [LA] [for 5–16 yrs] and Athletics Australia [AA] [for senior athletics]) as responsible for some talent loss in the transition from the junior to senior arm of the sport. Additionally, coaches perceived that the highly competitive structure of LA encourages early specialisation, partly because of the lack of appropriate coach education at that level, as well as pressure to perform in the results-driven culture. Coaches also felt that the lack of support from the sport (e.g., financial, sport science) for talented juniors trying to transition to elite senior status meant many dropped out because it was too difficult to balance study/work with the increased commitment needed to achieve at the elite senior level. The findings from each of the studies were integrated and analysed within Bronfenbrenner’s theoretical framework to provide a better understanding of the key factors associated with the long-term developmental process for elite Australian T&F athletes. Combined results highlighted the importance of matching training loads and volumes to athletes’ physical, mental and emotional development, continuing to incorporate other sports and delaying specialisation until late adolescence. Access to a wide variety and level of competition was also very important, as was psychosocial networks (parents, coaches, peers, sporting bodies), who provided physical resources, tangible and emotional support, motivation and opportunities to develop the physical and psychological skills needed to progress to elite senior levels of T&F. These findings are intended to provide valuable information for all stakeholders (coaches, athletes, parents, administrators) to help identify, develop, retain and maximise the potential of talented young athletes in Australian T&F. In addition, it is hoped the results will provide an impetus and platform for further research, in addition to providing robust evidence upon which AA (the governing body) can base future decisions for the design, delivery and evaluation of their elite programs. | en_AU |
