Athletics: Coaches assigned to new roles with Uwic

Jan 23 2008 by Our Correspondent, South Wales Echo

WITH the Welsh Open Senior Championships just around the corner, Welsh Athletics today took the wraps off the coaches who have been busy cultivating the nation’s up and coming hopefuls.

Sweden’s former national hurdles coach, Bengt-Erik Blomkvist, is just one of three recent coaching appointments.

Funded by Sports Council for Wales, UK Athletics and University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (Uwic), the positions are based in Cardiff, but athletes across Wales are benefiting as the coaches regularly rotate around the country.

Blomkvist is responsible for producing the next generation of household names. And he certainly has a wealth of experience. 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.

In 1993, he was charged with responsibility for the development of 100m and 110m hurdles in Sweden. Eight years later, he was appointed head coach of sprint hurdles.

Already, Commonwealth silver medallist over 110m hurdles Chris Baillie has relocated from Scotland in order to train with Blomkvist. Choosing Cardiff as his training base has had a knock on effect for Welsh hurdlers, in particular Heather Jones, who now trains daily with Baillie.

Blomkvist has coached Sweden’s twin sisters and hurdlers Susanna and Jenny Kallur for the last 10 years.

Earlier this year, Susanna was voted by the people of Sweden to be the nation’s best sportsperson.

Her achievements include winning gold in the 60m hurdles at the 2007 European Indoor Championships, 100m hurdles gold at the 2006 European Championships in Gothenburg and bronze at the 2006 World Indoors in Moscow over the 60m hurdles.

It was a Kallur one-two at the European Indoors in 2005 with Susanna beating Jenny for the gold over the 60m hurdles.

The Swedish coach is not the only new arrival at Uwic’s National Indoor Athletics Centre. Cwmbran’s 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 at last summer’s European Under-23 Championships.

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.

Meanwhile, 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 and is leaving his current post as Head of PE at Finborough High School, Suffolk.

A qualified Sports Science lecturer and UK Athletics tutor, he has also worked for Birchfield Harriers as operations and development manager.

As well as improving the coaching set-up, athletes will be further bolstered by the appointment of a physiotherapist and a strength and conditioning coach to join Uwic’s performance team.