Adam Elliott – coach of Alex Yee and Sophie Coldwell – awarded top honour

British Triathlon’s Adam Elliott has been honoured at the UK Coaching Awards by being named High Performance Coach of the Year.

Elliott is the Head Coach at the Loughborough High Performance Centre, working on the World Class Programme, and 2023 proved a memorable one for athletes training with him.

Two highlights in particular were Alex Yee‘s Olympic Test Event victory which booked his place for Paris 2024 and Sophie Coldwell‘s first-ever World Triathlon Championship Series win.

‘Not a 9-5 job’

Yee was a regular on the podium at the top end of the sport and won WTCS Cagliari and Abu Dhabi as well as the Test Event before being the first male triathlete named by Team GB for next summer’s Games.

Coldwell meanwhile won a WTCS race for the first time as she stood on the top step of the podium in Yokohama, adding to the silver medal she claimed in Abu Dhabi at the start of the season.

Coldwell said: “I’ve been incredibly lucky to have been coached by Adam for 14 years now and in that time, he’s gone from Apprentice Coach to Head Coach of our centre.

He’s incredibly understanding that we have lives outside of training and triathlon and fits that around the schedules that are required to perform.

Sophie Coldwell on Adam Elliott

“He’s super adaptable, wherever we are in the world or the situations we find ourselves in, there’s always a plan A, B, C and probably more. He’s also incredibly good at seeing problems before they arise whether that be a personal problem or a training problem and sorts them out before we even see them as a problem ourselves.

“For him coaching isn’t a 9-5 job. It’s something he’s incredibly passionate about and loves doing and as an athlete I can’t thank him enough. “

Yee added: “I’ve been really lucky to have Adam as my coach for the last three to four years. He’s been amazing, he’s always gone above and beyond. He’s always working hard behind the scenes, and he wants the best for us.

“My fondest memory is seeing him after the Olympic Games, after I won silver and him having a tear in his eye because he just loves what he’s doing.”

‘I’m part of a brilliant team’

The UK Coaching Awards is a national celebration event, regarded as the most prestigious within the coaching community and created to shine a light on the remarkable contributions made by coaches. Elliott was nominated alongside Jess Thirlby (England Netball Head Coach) and Thomas Coyd (England Wheelchair Rugby League Head Coach).

Speaking after receiving the award, Elliott said: “It’s a real privilege to be awarded UK Coaching ‘Performance Coach of the Year.’ I’m part of a brilliant team and am lucky enough to work with some fantastic athletes and I feel this is reflection of the hard work and commitment of all those people.

“While performance and results might be implicit in elite sport, it’s not something that has ever been the sole focus of the way we work, and I think that’s what allows me to coach the way I do.

“I’ve been lucky enough that British Triathlon support a way of working as a coach that is personal first and you never feel you are being held accountable for results that are not in line with this philosophy.

“My wife would tell you that it feels like I never go to work because I love what I do, and I think that is critical within coaching and supporting others.”

Mike Cavendish, British Triathlon Performance Director, said: “It’s been a fantastic year for Adam and the athletes he’s worked with. Those results don’t come without a lot of hard work though, and this award is deserved recognition for the work that he puts in every day for each of his athletes.”