By Emily Goddard

Jan Cameron has been appointed as Swimming Australia's permanent Paralympic coach at the University of Sunshine Coast ©Getty ImagesApril 10 - Jan Cameron, the Australian Olympic medal winning swimmer, has been appointed as Swimming Australia's Paralympic coach at the University of Sunshine Coast (USC) in Queensland.

The Tokyo 1964 4x100 metres freestyle relay silver medallist, a coach for more than 40 years, had been serving in the role on an interim basis since May last year but will now occupy the post permanently.

"Jan has been acting in the role for the last six months and has developed a strong understanding of the programme and good relationships with the athletes at the USC," Michael Scott, Swimming Australia's performance director, said.

"Her coaching pedigree and skills, mentoring of athletes and coaches and ability to develop world class programmes at the international level will be of huge value to the organisation."

Cameron, who also won three medals at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Jamaican capital Kingston, spoke of her excitement about the job and said her aim is to ensure there are Australian swimmers on the podium at future Paralympic Games.

Blake Cochrane, who trains under Jan Cameron, has been picked to represent Australia at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games ©Getty ImagesBlake Cochrane, who trains under Jan Cameron, has been picked to represent Australia at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games ©Getty Images


"My main goal from this role is to have swimmers on the podium in 2016 and 2020," she said.

"I currently have a good mixture of high performing athletes and young talent coming through and I hope that through this position I am able to work with a number of coaches, nationwide, and reach out to even more potential Paralympic swimmers."

Cameron has grown the USC squad from three to seven members since 2013 and, following this year's National Championships, six swimmers - namely Paralympic champions Michael Anderson, Blake Cochrane and Rick Pendleton, as well as London 2012 silver medallist Taylor Corry, Jake Templeton and Lakeisha Patterson - gaining selection onto the Pan Pacific Para-Swimming Championships team.

Cochrane will also represent Australia at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Adam Pine, Swimming Australia's Paralympic performance manager, also welcomed the news that Cameron is staying.

"Jan has been a stand-out in her ability to manage the Paralympic athletes and her ability grow the programme, while her capacity to nurture and up-skill potential talent will no doubt underpin the talent identification process and greatly contribute to our future medal success," he said.

"With Jan staying on in the role, the athletes in her programme will be provided with a stable, ongoing support base."

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