It is with deep sadness that the Sport Australia Hall of Fame acknowledges the passing of Pat Clohessy AM, who died on 28 September 2026, aged 93.
Pat was one of the great distance running coaches in Australian history. He guided some of the country’s finest athletes, including world marathon champion and dual Commonwealth Games gold medallist Rob de Castella AM MBE, 1500m world number two Simon Doyle, and Australian record holders Shaun Creighton, Krishna Wood and Susan Hobson.
Before he became a coach, Pat was a champion athlete. He won consecutive US NCAA titles at the University of Houston in 1961 and 1962, claimed the AAU three miles in 1963, and finished third at the World Games in Helsinki that same year. He also represented Australia at the 1962 Perth British Empire and Commonwealth Games.
His coaching career reached the biggest stages in sport. He was Distance Running Coach at the 1980 Moscow and 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, and served as AIS Distance Coach from 1982 to 1994, shaping the programs of a generation of Australian runners. He was a dedicated student of his craft, always seeking new methods and better ways to bring out the best in his athletes. He was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1988 for his service to sport as a track and field coach, and was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1997.
Pat’s influence lives on in the athletes he coached, the coaches he inspired, and the standard of excellence he set for Australian distance running.
On behalf of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame Members, Legends, Scholarship Holders, Board and staff, we extend our deepest condolences to Pat’s family, and to the many athletes, colleagues and friends whose lives he touched.
Pat Clohessy AM gave Australian athletics his knowledge, his patience and his lifetime of work. Rest in peace, Pat.