Tahmindjis, Phillip
(1968 - )
CAREER SUMMARY
Birth
1968
Sydney NSW Australia
Olympics
1988, 92, 94
World Junior Speed Skating Championships
1985, 86
World Allround Speed Skating Championships
1990, 91, 92
World Sprint Speed Skating Championships
1987, 89, 93, 94
Personal Bests
500 – 38.67 (1993); 1000 – 1:14.97 (1994); 1500 – 1:55.65 (1993); 5000 – 6:57.91 (1991); 10000 – 14:58.00 (1991)
Australian Ice Racing Hall of Fame
BORN IN 1968 IN SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, Phillip Tahmindjis played ice hockey for the Canterbury Eagles, partnering with Rob Heggie in defence and representing New South Wales in the U18 national competition for the Tange Trophy. He joined the Canterbury Pacers speed skating club, making his international debut as a back marker at the 1985 World Junior Championships, and improving to 12th the following year.
Four World Sprint tournaments followed between 1987 and 1994, producing 28th placing twice. At the 1993 World Sprint speed skating championships in Ikaho, Japan, the ice racer finished in 12th place twice in the 1000m (run twice to determine the overall world sprint champion). He competed at the Allround World Championships from 1990 to 92 and went on to three Olympic Games; Calgary in 1988, Albertville in 92, and Lillehammer in 94.
Tahmindjis also competed in various forms of cycling, including track cycling and mountain biking. He settled in the United States, working as a skating and strength and conditioning coach to many professional Ice hockey players in Canada and the US and several national teams at various hockey camps. Some players travelled to Australia in our off-season to train with him.
After he retired from skating, Tahmindjis taught snowboarding for three months and then ran the Thredbo snowboard school for several years. He became National Training Director for snowboarding in Australia, directing the standard of teaching for every snowboard school in the country.
Tahmindjis also worked for a French team as a world cup snowboard coach based in Switzerland in the Northern hemisphere winter. In 1999, he moved to Colorado for one last year of snowboarding, intending to return to Australia to get a "real job". He met his wife Nicole during the second week on the job in Beaver Creek ski resort. They are still there 23 years later.
A Fire Lieutenant for a metropolitan Fire Department North of Denver, the ex-pat Australian also travels the US in the summer fighting bushfires with a small team of professional firefighters.
| Phillip Tahmindjis, Men's Speed Skating, 1988 - 1994 Olympics | ||||
| Distance | Time | Rank | Year | Location |
| 1,000m |
|
31 | 1988 | Calgary |
| 1,500m | 32 | 1988 | Calgary | |
| 1,000 m | 38 | 1992 | Albertville | |
| 1,500m |
38 | 1992 | Albertville | |
| 10,000m | DSQ | 1992 | Albertville | |
| 5,000m | 25 | 1992 | Albertville | |
| 1,000m |
37 | 1994 | Lillehammer | |
| 1,500 m | 36 | 1994 | Lillehammer | |
| Source: olympics.com | ||||
[1] Calgary was the first time that speed skating had been conducted on an indoor track. Short track racing was a demonstration sport at Calgary and was introduced to the Olympic Winter Games four years later at Albertville 1992.
[2] Phillip Tahmindjis on Legends Facebook, 2022:
“First of all thank you so much for the recognition. I really appreciate it. I am Dyslexic and growing up I thought my only future was working in a factory or sweeping floors (absolutely no disrespect to people who work in factories and sweep floors but not the life a kid dreams of). I had terrible self confidence and was a complete outsider at school and to be honest at aged 12 or 13 my future looked pretty bleak in my eyes. My sports took me away from what I saw as my future and showed me that greater things are possible. Sports changed my life in the most positive way and set me up for who I am today.
"As far as my speed skating life. Obviously racing in the Olympics and world championships is a great honour and that wonderful experience made me who I am, but it was not all fun times. I spent many weeks sitting alone in hotel rooms thousands of miles from home away from family and friends after training. I spent a few Christmas and New Years alone. Thousands of laps done by myself. I even experienced racism first hand. But those tough times were diminished by racing, improving and working hard. My life-long friendship of the great Danny Kah (and Melissa of course) is always easy and a friendship based on mutual respect and support for each other doing a sport that is very very difficult. Athlete V’s the clock. That’s it. Very little luck is involved. I had bigger dreams than possible but that’s me. I push for the stars even if I don’t have a rocket ship.
"For a guy that thought I would be pushing a broom, my sport helped me to achieve much more. I have run a couple of successful businesses, coached great athletes, completed a university degree, published author, firefighter (Lieutenant), speak several languages most importantly I am happily married to the love of my life Nicole, and have two amazing super smart, and talented daughters and many more things I won’t mention. All this was made possible because of my sports and the support of my wonderful family and friends. Now let’s go skating.”
Ross Carpenter, 'Tahmindjis, Phillip (1968 - )', Legends of Australian Ice, Melbourne, Australia, http://icelegendsaustralia.com/legends-2/bio-tahmindjis.html, accessed online .
[1] Email, Phil Tahmindjis, 2023.
[2] Australian Ice Racing (AIR) Roll of Honour
