Fiona Mary Robinson was born February 7th, 1969 in Perth Western Australia.
She started playing basketball when she was about thirteen years old. She had been a WA State competitive swimmer. In 1983 she held a National sprint record for the freestyle 50metres and still holds WA State swimming records. She was attracted to basketball because of the team nature of the sport. Being very tall for her age she was a natural at the game.
Fiona represented WA Country at the National Under 16 Championships in 1984. It was at these Championships that she came under the eye of the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Coaches and she was offered a scholarship to the AIS in Canberra.
She was a member of the AIS Women’s Team that played in the 1986 Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL)Grand Final and won the Australian Women’s Club Championship. This was a tremendous result for a team with an average age of seventeen years.As starting centre on that team, Fiona quickly established herself as a very talented athlete and basketball player.
Fiona says with emphasis, “I still count my Institute Coaches as the best I encountered in my career. As I got older, and more focused as professional athlete I did feel sorry for them, for the "Fee" that they had to coach during the AIS years. They all deserve a medal.”She captained the Australian Junior Women’s team on the 1986 tour to China
Fiona was at the AIS for three years from 1985 to 1987.
She first played with the Australian National Women’s Team on an eleven game tour of Europe in 1987. She was only eighteen years of age. It had been a very rapid rise in the sport for someone who had only been playing the game for five years. That same year she played for Australia in the World University Games.
Fiona left the AIS and played College Basketball in the US at Southwest Texas State University from 1988 to 1990.
Fiona played for Perth Breakers (1988, 1991, and 1993 to 1995) in the WNBL. She again showed her outstanding ability and was a force in the League.
But in her own words she admits. “I did not have the passion to improve and excel....in basketball at that time....until I was coached by Guy Molloy at the Perth Breakers from 1993 to 1995. I loved basketball, but then I also loved College and travelling. I played hard when it was game time but struggled to maintain long term training focus year in year out.” Under Molloy’s guidance Fiona changed her training habits and was subsequently selected again on the National Team (now called the Opals) Squads and played for the Opals on overseas tours.
Her comeback to the Opals and International Basketball happened in 1995 when she was selected for the Opals to play in a series in Australia against Korea.
That same year she played for the Opals in the Goldmark Cup against China and on a tour to Europe.
By the end of 1995 she was a regular member of the Opals under Head Coach Tom Maher.
Fiona’s personal motivation was now firmly set on being selected on the Opals Team for the 1996 Olympic Games.
At this time Fiona was a very mobile “big” player. She was very athletic, and had a variety of good skills around the basket and in transition in the open court. An aggressive rebounder and defender she was a handful for most defenders in the WNBL and internationally.
In 1996 Fiona got the news she wanted to hear, she was selected to play for Australia at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.
In preparation for the Games Fiona and the Opals played in the Skilled World Challenge against the USA, Cuba and the Ukraine and then in two Pre-Olympic tournaments (in Canada and the USA).
Fiona thoroughly enjoyed the Olympics and comments, “I was surrounded by an incredibly professional group of players and staff.....I have never seen, or may never see again that sort of group commitment to excellence.”
Fiona cites the greatest achievement for herself personallyfrom the Olympic campaign was “learning to cope with physical pain from an injury...and extending myself physically, emotionally and intellectually....I learned more about my potential as a human being in those two years than in the previous twenty six.”
The Opals played exceptional team basketball and won Australia’s first Olympic Basketball medal when they won the Bronze Medal. It was an outstanding result.
Once back in Australia Fiona resumed playing in the WNBL (now with the Canberra Capitals) and at the end of the 1996 WNBL season moved to Spain to play basketball with Pool Getafe in Madrid.
In 1997 and 1998 she played with Wels Basketball Club in Austria.
1n 1998 Fiona set a goal to be selected on the Sydney 2000 Australian Women’s Handball Team. She returned to Australia to completely focus on her new sport.
She made the ACT State Handball Team in 1997, the Australia B Handball Team in 1998, The Queensland Handball Team (1998-99) and represented Australia on the Women’s Handball Team for the World Championships held in Norway in 1999.
She completely immersed herself in the game of Handball. She and he husband Andrew sold their house and moved to Europe.She played professional Handball in Denmark (1999 to 2000).
“It was fantastic. I became obsessively interested in how far I could push myself. I learnt so much in that three year period about focus, work and personal capabilities,” recalls Fiona.
Her efforts culminated in her selection on the Australian Women’s Handball Team for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
In doing so Fiona became the only person to have represented Australia at consecutive Olympic Games in two different sports and the second women to have represented Australia in the Olympic Games in two different sports.
After Sydney 2000 she and her husband had three children in quick succession (Ashlee, Keaton and Toby) all born before 2002.
The family moved to Brisbane in 2008. In 2009 she was appointed CEO of Womensport Queensland.Womensport Queensland isa State based organization providing support and services to women and girls in sport. Fiona sits on a number of national and State “not for profit” Boards. She has since moved on from Womensport Queensland.
Fiona expresses the view, “My careers in Basketball and Handball have taught me the skills to set objectives, be focused, to work hard in a team, and to better understand personal capabilities. I also learnt of thepersonal sacrifices that so many people make to assisting athletes to achieve their dreams. Now I am proudly volunteering as a coach and mentor to the next generation of local talented young basketballers.”
Fiona Robinson (Hannan) had the distinction of representing Australia in two sports at Olympic Games. She won a Bronze Medal in Olympic Basketball and played over 50 games for her country in basketball. Hers was an outstanding career.
Fiona Hannan (nee Robinson) (F. Hannan)
Fiona Robinson (11) battles Haixai “Baby Huey” of China (Basketball Australia)
Fiona Robinson rebounding for Australia (F. Hannan)