Brent Vallance
Athletics Australia High Performance Coach Mentor
"One of Australia’s most successful athletics coach, with a legacy built on integrity, and high performance."
Brent Vallance has coached athletes to six Olympic medals, making him Australia’s most successful athletics coach of all time. Key performances include:
- Nathan Deakes: Bronze medal, 2004 Athens (20 km walk)
- Jared Tallent:
- Gold medal, 2012 London (50 km walk)
- Silver medal, 2008 Beijing (50 km walk)
- Bronze medal, 2008 Beijing (20 km walk)
- Jemima Montag: Bronze medal, 2024 Paris (20 km walk)
- Rhydian Cowley & Jemima Montag: Bronze medal, 2024 Paris (Marathon walk relay)
Brent’s integrity is unwavering. As Jared Tallent’s coach, Brent stood as a passionate advocate for fair play when Jared was retroactively awarded the 2012 Olympic Gold medal after the disqualification of Sergey Kirdyapkin for doping. Brent’s commitment to clean sport continues to inspire his athletes and peers.
Brent has transformed Australia’s racewalking community into its most successful athletics discipline. His mentorship extends to developing coaches, including Olympic medalist Jared Tallent, who is now coaching athletes onto Australian teams. Jared is also part of the AIS’s National Generation 2032 Coach Program, with Brent as his lead mentor.
Brent has contributed extensively to endurance athletics through academic research and publications. His work offers valuable insights for coaches and athletes worldwide.
Selected publications:
- Carr AJ, Sharma AP, Ross ML, Vallance BS. *Comprehensive preparation strategies for a world-class endurance athlete competing in major international competitions in hot environmental conditions: A case study.* International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 2024.
- Krumm B, Vallance B, et al. *High‐level performances following low altitude training and tapering in warm environments in elite racewalkers.* European Journal of Sport Science, 2024.
- Kuikman MA, Vallance B, et al. *Temporal effects of altitude and low energy availability on resting metabolic rate in female racewalkers.* Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2024.
Additional publications available upon request.