Former French Olympic star the latest coaching recruit for Rowing Australia

The coaching ranks of the Rowsellas have continued to evolve following the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, with the recruitment of Sydney 2000 Olympic champion and now acclaimed international coach Xavier Dorfman set to join the Hancock Prospecting Women’s National Training Centre in Penrith.

Dorfman is a six-time World Championship medallist and won Olympic Gold for France as part of the Lightweight Men’s Four at the Sydney Games in 2000. 

He has gone on to become a decorated coach and mentor, joining the Japanese Rowing Federation as Head Coach in 2016 and building that program towards international success.

“Xavier has a very strong athlete-centred approach to performance and a standout feature about Xavier is his ability to identify and nurture talent,” Rowing Australia Performance Director Paul Thompson MBE said.

“We believe he is going to be an excellent addition to our Hancock Prospecting Women’s National Training Centre (WNTC) and help our athletes thrive as we enter a new performance cycle.”

Dorfman will join new WNTC Head Coach James Harris, who joins Rowing Australia from Great Britain, while Ellen Randell will continue in her role as a senior coach. Randell is one of Australia’s most-experienced coaches and will continue to deliver world-class advice and leadership to elite NTC athletes.

“The WNTC coaching staff have an exciting mix of experience and coaching philosophies,” Thompson said. “We think that blend can create a strong performance environment that gives athletes every chance to achieve their goals.”

Following her role as co-coach of the Australian Women’s Eight in Paris, Hally Chapman will continue at the WNTC as part of the Australian Institute of Sport National Generation 2032 Coach Program, which is an intensive coach development program for aspiring pathway and early career high performance coaches.