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Former national hurdle champion and current elite coach Lyn Foreman has been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

An important figure in the history of Australian sport, Foreman was awarded the medal for services to athletics, which includes her contributions as an athlete, national coach, her 20 years with the Western Australian Institute of Sport and in coaching education.

Foreman gained national attention after breaking the Australian and New Zealand 400m hurdles record, then claiming her first national title in 1975 before winning three straight from 1979 to 1981.

A long-term coach at the UWA Athletics Club, Foreman was named Coach of the Year at the 2017 UWA Sports Awards.

The former national champion has helped produce some of Western Australia’s top track talent over the last few decades.

Fittingly, her late husband, the ABC commentator and WAIS administrator Wally Foreman also received the award in 2003.

“These awards usually happen to other people, but I’m honoured that someone thought me worthy to go through the application process,” Lyn said.

“With so many coaches at the coalface passionately coaching, I’m in a little embarrassed, but very proud.”

The UWA coach also ran the Queen’s Baton before the Commonwealth Games this year as one of 3,500 bearers across Australia.

Foreman is currently busy training athletes for the world junior titles and the Youth Olympics, with many focused on making the cut for Tokyo 2020.

Media references

Louis Humberstone

Graduate Officer, UWA Sport Marketing, Communication and Events

[email protected]

6488 3768