Elon College, N.C. – When the 2000 Olympic Games kick off this September in Sydney, Australia, Elon faculty member Peter Farmer will be on hand to help carry the torch the last miles to Olympic Stadium, and also coach and advise several athletes in their quests for medals.
Farmer is a two-time Olympic athlete for Australia, his homeland. In 1976 and 1980, he competed in the hammer throw, at one point holding the Australian and British Commonwealth records in the event. He ranked fifth in the world in the hammer throw and was a bronze medallist in the World Cup, a gold medallist in the Commonwealth Games, a duel NCAA champion and an eight-time All-American.
His tenure as a former Australian Olympian gives him the right to carry the Olympic flame on the day prior to the opening ceremonies. Once that thrill is over, he turns to the Olympians of today, working with athletes from several countries who have practiced at the training facility he operates at Gibsonville, N.C.
Farmer’s dream is to build a world-class facility on the 10-acre wooded site for Olympians training in the throwing events: shot put, hammer, discus and javelin. Already, he has attracted athletes from Norway, Fiji, Canada, Great Britain, Australia and the United States. The facility is called Valhalla, named for the Norse hall of heroes.
“Someone once said it takes five things to make an artist: some talent, a mentor, a group of other people doing the same thing, a chance to participate with the best and a support system,” says Farmer. “I want to build a place that will provide all of those things.”
Currently, the athletes live with Farmer and his family in the 1893 home on the property. His goal is to add living quarters to the throwing field and circles that he has already carved out of the property. He also wants to establish a Throwing Sports Hall of Fame.
Since his retirement as an Olympic athlete, Farmer, 48, has been a physical education teacher, assistant elementary school principal, television sports reporter and commentator, collegiate and national level track and field coach, and college professor. He is an associate professor of leisure/sport management at Elon. He has a bachelor’s degree and a master of education degree from the University of Texas at El Paso, a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix and a doctorate from the University of New Mexico.
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EDITORS’ NOTE: Farmer is currently visiting family in Australia. He will return to Elon College and be available for interviews in early August.