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Henry and Mills Could Join AIS

Nov 7, 2004

Queensland coach Shannon Rollason, arguably the best young sprint coach in the world, has applied for a position to coach at the Australian Institute of Sport. The Queensland based Rollason is the head coach of both Jodie Henry and Alice Mills, Australia's dynamic sprint duo.

Henry was the toast of Australia after returning from Athens with three gold medals, three world records, including an individual win in the 100 freestyle. Mills also won two golds with relay swims in the 4x100 free and 4x100 medley (prelims). Both swimmers, as well as Rollason's other charges Tarnee White, Brodie Murphy, and Melanie Houghton, are prepared to follow him to Canberra should he attain a coaching position at the AIS. Such firepower would bring a much-needed boost to the AIS program, flagging after the post-Olympic retirements of Petria Thomas and Sarah Ryan.

Rollason's primary motivations were cited as a lack of support for his existing club, despite the fact that it produced two Olympic gold medalists, including an individual event winner, and 50 percent of the world record-breaking women's 400 freestyle relay, all of which added considerably to the Australian swimming medal haul in Athens.

Support won't be a problem at the AIS, which is about to undergo a 65 million-dollar facelift. When completed, the institute is expected to have the most technically advanced training facility in the world, complete with flumes, underwater cameras, and a vast array of testing equipment, all of which will allow Rollason to find ways to eke out additional time drops from his worldbeating cadre of talent.