Trevor Painter and Jenny Meadows: The importance of the team behind the athlete
5 August 2024, Keely Hodgkinson was stood on the start line of the Olympic 800m final, just two laps of the track lay between her and the gold medal. Keely did it, she went one better than Tokyo and became Olympic champion! What a great achievement for her, but also the team that supported her every step of the way.
Her coaches, Trevor Painter and Jenny Meadows, were recently inducted into the England Athletics Hall of Fame as recognition for their work with Keely, and Olympic bronze medallists Georgia Bell and Lewis Davey. We caught up with them during the evening to find out more about their training group, the M11 Track Club, and what the accolade means to them.
Heading into the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Keely Hodgkinson (Leigh AC) had her eyes set on the gold. Trevor explained,
“After Tokyo we made plans to go one better with Keely. Winning the silver in Tokyo was wonderful but you always want to try and get the gold, so we made the plans and pulled it off. Along the way we have collected other athletes which has been great for the M11 Track Club especially having so many athletes in Paris and so much success.”
Bringing different strengths to the coaching team
The coaching duo each bring different experiences and skill sets to the team, which helps them to work well together and ensure the best outcomes for the athletes in their group. Trevor described their dynamic,
“We capture every element, Jen has been there and done it. She can walk the walk and talk the talk. I have set the plans throughout all of Jen’s career and going forward. We have a good understanding of the science of the sport and what is needed to be achieved and then Jen has a really strong understanding of how to actually deliver. It is a good balance.”
Jenny added, “I definitely didn’t intend to go into coaching once I finished as an athlete. I thought that was my time finished in the sport, but you always realise that you have got a lot more still to give. I have walked in the athletes’ shoes before, I have followed their journey and I am hoping that I can guide, mentor and appreciate what athletes are going through.”
Trevor and Jenny go above and beyond to support and care for their athletes by brining a family feel to the elite performance environment to bring the best out of the group both inside and outside of athletics.
Trevor commented, “It is nice to watch the athletes grow as an athlete but also as a human being.”
An honour to be inducted into the Hall of Fame
Being inducted into the Hall of Fame means a lot to both Trevor and Jenny as they follow in the footsteps of many athletics and running greats.
“It is a brilliant time to be inducted,” Jenny said, “especially after the successes in Paris. I have been to this awards ceremony previously and seen some amazing people from the sport be inducted and I did think it would be really cool if I was ever given that honour."
“I also think it’s really unique that we have been able to do this together. I think sometimes you don’t feel proud of yourself, but I feel really proud of Trevor and I am sure he will feel the same way about me.”
Trevor added, “You look at the names of the people who have been inducted in the past and it is great to be amongst those legendary names. I am very happy to be part of it.”
Georgia Bell (Belgrave Harriers) presented the pair with their awards on the evening. She has had a brilliant year, including an Olympic bronze medal in the 1500m, having returned to the sport and joined the M11 Track Club last year. Jenny spoke of how special it was to receive the award from Georgia,
“It was really nice that Georgia Bell got to hand us the awards. She was really proud of us. We have had lots of messages from the training group as Georgia has shared some photos and I know they are really proud of us.”
The value of a support network
Trevor and Jenny are only able to invest so much in their training group due to the support network that they have around them. The success of their athletes is made possible by everyone around them. Jenny thanked some important people,
“We have got a huge support system behind us, three grandparents who look after our daughter, Arabella, and so this is amazing for them as well and recognition to them for allowing us to do what we do.
“We have an assistant coach Darren Borthwick, he makes up the quartet with Arabella in terms of coaching, then there are many physios, agents that work behind the scenes tirelessly for the athletes.
“A huge thank you to anyone who has helped our athletes to be as successful as they are.”
Trevor’s success as a coach this year has also been recognised by UK Coaching, as he has been shortlisted for not one, but two awards; High Performance Coach of the Year and Great Coaching Moment.
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