Fans of Eastern athletics have spent almost 30 years enjoying the grace, wisdom, strength and athleticism of two-time All American Bonnie Edmondson ’87.  This year, Edmondson took her skills to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where she served as coach of the 12 U.S. women competing in the javelin, hammer, discus and shot put events at the XXXI Olympiad.

One of Edmondson’s throwers, Michelle Carter of Red Oak, TX, became the first U.S. female Olympian to ever win gold in the shot put, improving on her performance at the 2012 London Games when she was fifth.  Other athletes under Edmondson’s charge finished fifth in the shot put and sixth and eighth in the hammer throw.

A part-time coach at Trinity College, Edmondson is a program manager for the Connecticut State Department of Education for school health programs. The Rio Olympics were not her first time coaching U.S. athletes, as she has been guiding throwers at national events and world championships for more than a decade.

“I felt honored to be selected to coach at the Olympics because I know it’s a rigorous process,” said Edmondson. “The Olympics is the pinnacle of people’s careers. This is what athletes and coaches shoot for. This is their ultimate goal.”

A Coventry native, Edmondson has been at the top of her game since she was a youngster, when she won two state junior titles and four state championships at Coventry High School. At Eastern, she was an All-American in the discus and hammer, later winning national hammer throw championships in 1990 and 1991 as a professional. In 1992, Edmondson would have qualified for the Barcelona Olympic Games if the hammer had been an official Olympic sport; it wasn’t included until the 2000 Games. She retired as a professional in 1997.

Edmondson continues to give back to her alma mater.  In addition to being a member of the E-Club Hall of Fame, she is a regular as Mistress of Ceremonies at the annual E-Club Hall of Fame banquet. For the past 16 years, the University has awarded the Bonnie J. Edmondson Senior Female Sportsperson-of-the-Year Award each spring to a student who reflects Bonnie’s qualities of sportsmanship, teamwork, spirit and fair play.