Welsh Athletics Appoint Top Coaches

With the Welsh Senior Championships coming up (26 January 2008), Welsh Athletics today announced the appointment of the top coaches who have been busy developing the nation’s up and coming talent.
Sweden’s former National Hurdles Coach - Bengt-Erik Blomkvist –- is just one of three recent coaching recruitments that will benefit Athletes from all over Wales. This will be a huge boost for North Wales Athletics with the coaches set to rotate around the regions of Wales so that every area gets the benefit.
It will be Blomkvist's job to produce the next generation of household names, and he certainly has a wealth of experience to bring to North Wales. From 1996 to 2004, he served as the Swedish Team Coach at all junior and senior European and World Championships as well as the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.
Blonmkvist has already stated his delight of being to help nurture Wales' top talent, “I am very impressed by the facilities in Wales and the possibilities they present. The future plans for athletics here in Wales are very exciting and I’m glad to be a part of it.
Chief Executive of Welsh Athletics, Matt Newman, explains:
“This is yet another sign of how Welsh Athletics is moving forward. Bengt is an excellent addition to the performance team in Wales. He brings some excellent technical skills and an engaging personality which will help spread his expert knowledge across Wales. I’m delighted that we’ve been able to attract such a high-calibre coach.”
The Swedish coach is not the only new arrival at the National Indoor Athletics Centre in UWIC. Darrell Maynard is also joining the team as a part-time Development Performance Coach.
The former physical training officer for the British Army and Police is the man behind the success of David Greene who was triumphant in the European U23s Championships this summer. He also works with Richard Hill and a number of disability athletes including Tracy Hinton and John McFall who are both tipped for success at the Beijing Paralympics.
His efforts were recognised by the Sports Council for Wales in its 2006 Coach of the Year Awards. Maynard is a five-time Welsh indoor champion over 400m and 800m. This will be great news for North Wales runners who compete over these distances, who will hopefully be able to take advantage of Maynard's experience. Wrexham's James Mills, who recently won the Wrexham Road Racing Championship is an International runner over 800m.
Also, a former Welsh javelin international is returning to Wales to take up the position of UWIC Performance Coach.
Nigel Bevan – who hails from Ammanford - competed at three Commonwealth Games and at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. He is the current Welsh record holder with 81.70m.
Newman summarises with, “Wales has punched above its weight in athletics in recent years. These appointments will help us to realise our full potential and move us closer to a fully operational high-performance centre in Wales"
I'm sure the superb Indoor Arena in Deeside will be a venue these coaches will be gracing in the near future.