Rohan Wight to lead relaunched WAIS Cycling Program as Head Coach

The Western Australian Institute of Sport (WAIS) is pleased to announce the appointment of Rohan Wight as Cycling Head Coach to lead the relaunched WAIS Cycling Program.

Wight brings experience as both an athlete and National level coach to the role. As an athlete, Wight was part of a golden era of Australian success in men’s track endurance winning the team pursuit world title in 2017, having won two junior world titles and World Cup gold over the previous two years.

Following his retirement in 2018, he transitioned into coaching, including three and a half years as Podium Potential Academy Endurance Coach at AusCycling.

There he designed and implemented the initial Academy program for podium potential athletes and developed strong working relationships with coaches across the National Institute Network. He coached Australian Teams at international competitions and progressed 25% of the program through to the Australian Team for the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Most recently he has served as Assistant Cycling Coach at the South Australian Sports Institute.

“I am excited to be joining WAIS and taking on the Head Coaching role. Western Australia has a proud history of cycling success and I want to continue that legacy over the coming years,” said Wight.

“I’m looking forward to working with the WAIS performance team, along with the stakeholders in WA to create a program that identifies and develops talent to be successful on the world stage. My goal for the WAIS Cycling Program is to provide a pathway for Western Australian cyclists to reach the top levels of the sport, and to support them throughout their athlete journey at WAIS.

Wight believes his experience as an athlete will be vital in developing and guiding the next generation of Western Australian cyclists.

“I have been in their shoes before, as an athlete at both state institute and national team level, and want to leverage that experience to help athletes on their cycling journey.

“I understand the expectations and demands of being an elite athlete and want to guide athletes through both the challenges and opportunities that are presented to them along the way.”

The WAIS Program, operating in partnership with AusCycling will operate an endurance focused daily training environment for emerging and developing track endurance, road, and cross-country mountain bike athletes.

“My coaching approach at WAIS will centre around the athlete. There will be a diverse group across all cycling disciplines and so I will need to work closely with the team at WAIS to ensure we deliver the correct support for each athlete.

“I want to create an engaging and high-energy training environment, where athletes are challenged to push themselves and to take the initiative in driving their own development.

WAIS Performance Team Director Sheila Galloway said, “Rohan’s experience designing and leading a new high-performance program will be a tremendous asset as WAIS relaunches the cycling program.”

“To have a coach like Rohan who has coached athletes to selection for the Tokyo Olympic Games and World Tour Pro Teams, is adept at fast tracking athlete progression, and creating a learning environment ensures the WAIS program will nurture athletes’ high-performance journeys and achieve international success.”

AusCycling Director of Pathways Donna Rae‑Szalinski​ said, “AusCycling is very pleased with the appointment of Rohan Wight as WAIS Cycling Head Coach. Rohan is a knowledgeable and valued coach within the AusCycling high performance team, with lived experience across all endurance disciplines.

“The rich history of cycling in Western Australia, through strong clubs and WAIS, are a great fit with Rohan’s character and skillset. We look forward to seeing development opportunities, performance, and community connection increase in WA.”

Photo: Thomas Clarke