Evolution of a Perspective on Talent Pathways in Sport

There’s a tradition in Olympic Rowing to name the boat after someone who has had an impact on the crew. The crew that won Australia’s first ever female Olympic gold medal in Rowing in 1996 named their boat, Allan Hahn. Both Megan Still and Kate Slatter came through a pioneering talent identification and development program developed by Allan Hahn and his colleagues. That program served as a template for similar programs that identified and developed athletes into Australia’s Sydney Olympic campaign.

While it’s been twelve years since Allan worked directly in talent identification and development, he has stayed connected with the area, and with those continuing the work, both in Australia and overseas. With 2020 hindsight, Allan reflects on his evolving perspective on talent pathways in sport and provide some suggestions on where future work may yield competitive advantage