Gary West | |
Birth Date: | 8 June 1960 |
Birth Place: | Mildura, Victoria |
Death Place: | Adelaide, South Australia |
Gary West (8 June 1960 - 20 August 2017) was an Australian Olympic cyclist and track cycling coach.
He competed in the points race event at the 1984 Summer Olympics.[1] He was also an alternate on the gold medal-winning team pursuit squad at the 1984 Games.[2] At the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, West won a gold medal as a member of the men's team pursuit.[3]
West had an extensive track cycling coaching career. He worked for the Japan Cycling Federation and the United States Cycling Federation.[2] In 2006, West was appointed Head Cycling Coach at South Australian Sports Institute.[2] In 2008, he was appointed National Head Track Sprint Cycling Coach at the Australian Institute of Sport in Adelaide.[2] He coached Anna Meares to gold and bronze medals at the 2012 Summer Olympics and 2016 Summer Olympics respectively.[2] In October 2016, West stepped down from his national coaching role whilst he battled motor neurone disease.[4]
West was a track sprint coach for Australia at the 1998, 2010 and 2014 Commonwealth Games.[3] In 2016, he was awarded AIS Best of the Best at the Australian Institute of Sport Performance Awards.[5]
West died on 20 August 2017 in Adelaide from motor neurone disease, age 57.[6]