He helped steer cyclist Michael Matthews into the sport that made him an international star, now Melrose High School physical education teacher Des Proctor believes he's found his next student capable of making a world-class transition into a new sport.
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Just eight months after switching from soccer to cross country running, Canberra teenager Leanne Pompeani is being pursued by some of America's top athletics colleges offering four-year scholarships worth almost $200,000.
Pompeani is one of four Canberra runners who will represent Australia at the world cross country championships in China this month, along with Commonwealth Games athletes Brett Robinson and Emily Brichacek, and national junior boys champion, Bryce Anderson.
Pompeani, 18, only turned to cross country midway through last year on Proctor's advice, having lost her soccer scholarship with the ACT Academy of Sport.
Proctor, who was an American college cross country runner before relocating to Australia, recognised Pompeani's athletic ability when he taught her at Melrose High School and has become her coach.
He saw similar ability in another former Melrose High student, Matthews, who became under-23 road cycling champion and wore the leader's jersey in two of the world's grand tour races last year, the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a Espana.
"I coached him in basketball, when he was Year 9. He could almost dunk the basketball, he was the fastest kid in the school, but he could also beat the other kids in cross country, too," Proctor recalled of Matthews.
"I knew he was going to be something special, we just had to find the right sport. So I said 'give cycling a go'.
"Leanne was another athlete I said, 'hey, this girl's got something special'. But they've got to be ready to make the switch.
"It's almost identical their pathway - being new to the sport and before you know it they're off representing their country. It's hard to believe, because the sport of endurance running, you generally need time and to train for years. She's a novice to the sport still.
"I don't know what the limit for her is ... based on her running style and technique, she could be one of Australia's great marathon runners, if we can keep her in the game another six to 10 years. I don't have any doubts she has the ability."
Pompeani is going through scholarship applications in the US, with particular interest from Midwestern State University in Texas.
"I'd been playing soccer since I was four, so it was pretty big for me to stop," Pompeani, a Canberra College graduate, said.
"But I didn't feel I was going far when my [ACTAS] scholarship stopped with soccer, so I thought I might be able to give running a shot.
"I'd hope to make a Commonwealth Games team one day, maybe not the next one, but 2022."
Anderson, 18, has chosen to continue his running career and education in Canberra, training with Australian Sports Hall of Fame coach Dick Telford and the University of Canberra's John Landy training squad.
Anderson won the world championships selection event on his home course, at Canberra's Stromlo Forest Park.
"This was the real breakthrough race for me," Anderson said. "Commonwealth Games and Olympics has been my absolute dream since I started running, that's the pinnacle, so I hope this can transfer to a track career. I'd love to go to 2018 Commonwealth Games and hopefully Olympics after that."
