Gymnastics Australia appoints former world champion as Performance Wellbeing Manager

Gymnastics Australia has appointed former world champion, Samantha Palmer to their new role of Performance Wellbeing Manager. 

Palmer has competed at numerous World Championships and World Cups in Tumbling and was crowned World Champion on several occasions.

Aside from her athlete experiences, Palmer has also worked as a Coach and High Performance Manager in gymnastics.   

In her most recent role as Athlete Performance Coordinator, she has worked closely with many Australian gymnasts in their holistic performance planning and is excited by the opportunity presented to her.  

Palmer shared “coming from an elite athlete background, I understand that it takes more than just physical strength to achieve your performance goals.

“Working collaboratively alongside coaches to ensure our gymnasts are developing practical skills for both performance and life is a passion of mine and I am looking forward to being able to share my knowledge meaningfully.  

"I feel incredibly lucky to be part of the support team, fostering a positive environment for our current and future athletes to support their journey through gymnastics and beyond.”

Speaking about the announcement, Gymnastics Australia’s High Performance Director, Chris O’Brien said he was thrilled to have someone of Palmer’s calibre in the role. Her breadth of experience and personal capabilities is a perfect complement to the broader High Performance Team. 

O’Brien added “this role has evolved and will also start to provide greater support in the area of Coach Wellbeing and is intended to better integrate contemporary coaching practice into the athlete experience thus better providing for success in sport and life.”

Palmer will commence in role on Tuesday 13th June and will be based in Sydney.

Image. Samantha Palmer is joining Gymnastics Australia as Performance Wellbeing Manager. Credit: Gymnastics Australia