Report and photographs from John Coxon
Finally the winners of the 220 Triathlon Awards 2010, (in association with Taut ) for the competitive year 2009 have been announced in the prestigious 220 Triathlon magazine (and as voted for by the readership in two phases ) with two major awards going to key athletes in the first year working or performing in their category.
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Commenting on her Facebook (from Queensland’s Gold Coast where Michelle and some of her athlete’s are currently training) in reaction to the reading the news of Michelle winning the accolade, Team Dillon’s rising young star, 21 year old Jodie Stimpson, wrote an uninhibited tribute to her coach saying ““I’m so, so lucky to have the 220 Coach of the Year as my coach! There is no one like her, no one as motivational, no one who puts in the effort that she does day in day out!” Michelle immediately responded with written praise for her athlete where the whole team are like family and so willing to share with fans and friends via the internet making them all accessible and transparent. Jodie replied “Thank you Min and a huge congratulations you deserve it! In fact, after an astonishing first year at Elite level, under Michelle’s guidance, Jodie came a remarkable third in the Elite Women’s Triathlete of the year Category. Team Dillon’s Tamsin Lewis scooped the Age Groups Athlete of the Year award and made it clear where she placed the reason for the success. Responding to Michelle’s congratulations she wrote “Wouldn't have done it without you. 220 AG Triathlete of the Year and Coach of The Year - coincidence - I think not”
Michelle herself has got itchy feet again very probably through sharing tough workouts in the three discipline’s with her athlete’s, (not surprising to me , where she has always had an allergy to laying on her laurels) and is building up to re-entering the sport on a competitive basis, at first as an age grouper but typically with further ambitions in the pipeline. On behalf of Women Sport Report I spoke to Michelle about the awards recently.
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John : “Many Congratulations Mish! What are your initial thoughts on this years’ awards and how has this past year been for you?”
Michelle: “Well I was really chuffed to win this award and very honoured indeed. This has come a lot quicker than I had anticipated and didn’t really think about winning anything at least not so soon. It came as a lovely surprise. This past year has been great for me from my transition from Athlete to coach I’m enjoying working with so many lovely and driven people.”
John: “When you were recovering from back surgery back then when we announced your retirement, is this the way you saw your future shaping?”
Michelle: “I always have been passionate about coaching and helping others I think it comes very natural to me. So I had an idea that I might be heading down this path however I didn’t realise how quickly my business Team Dillon would grow or the success that has come.”
John: “What are you most looking forward to see unfolding this year as 2012 gets nearer and nearer?”
Michelle : “I believe I have some athletes I am working with that have the potential to be there at the games in 2012. The next two years for me is working with those athletes to help them reaheir potential and I have some backing that will give us the opportunities needed to perform at our best so I am very excited.”
I first met Michelle in my home town of Salford at the Quays straight after her victory in the World Cup 2004, the first triathlon I’d ever photographed. It was my first professional commission, ten hours of shooting through the rain, and I blame her for my now incurable addiction to photographing the sport and the friendly community that surrounds it which she epitomises. It has been a rare privilege to know her, be inspired by her and be in regular touch still. It was a highlight of my career to be her photographer at the 2007 London Triathlon made even sweeter when she won it. Triathlon is a unique sport and one of the few left which define the word. Triathletes at all levels form a significant and thriving mutually supportive global community. The sport is a life style choice where personal goal’s are worked at day in day out, in a self-determined on-going regime punctuated with competitive races where each finish line is just another starting point from which you can measure yourself. Small wonder that it is champions , like charismatic Michelle, inspire all those around them and no surprise that they continue to do so.
Beyond the timing splits ,the paper rankings, it seems to me that equality and mutual respect exists at all levels and between levels of ability in a shared understanding of the level of commitment required to fly in three separate disciplines.
Commenting back in 2004 after her World Cup win Michelle had nothing but praise for her elite rivals and club athletes. She told me “Everyone knows what it takes and you need each other to help pull you along. In many ways the competition is a battle with yourself not those around you. Not only that, these guys who are club athletes in the Age Group Waves. They’re amazing! We are professional athletes, its our job so we can focus full time but they are balancing work commitments as well as finding the time to put in the immense amount of work and hours necessary. There are no losers in this sport.” Not surprising then, that 220’s new Coach Of The Year now offers her coaching and mentoring expertise to inspire all comers with the desire to improve and reach their goals, not just elite athletes.
You can keep track of all Michelle’s news and the progress of all her athletes here on the Team Dillon website.
