Paralympics mastermind will now lead Olympic team

 
29 October 2012

Peter Eriksson, the man who spearheaded Britain’s Paralympic athletes to a golden Games, was today appointed Charles van ­Commenee’s successor as Olympic head coach.

Eriksson has been part of UK Athletics since 2009, when he was brought in to head up Britain’s Paralympic athletics ambitions as Games hosts.

The 59-year-old guided the team to third in the athletics medal table with 29 medals, 11 of which were gold, and has now been rewarded with the post vacated by van Commenee after the Olympics. The move means UKA need to find a new head coach for their Paralympic program and will begin interviewing shortly.

Following the appointment, UKA performance director Neil Black said: “Peter has proved time and again he has the priceless ability to lead and inspire athletes to deliver when it matters most — at the biggest championships, on the global stage.

“He is a rare talent, fantastically well positioned to now assume leadership of the Olympic team, and to build on the impressive progress the sport has made between Beijing and London.”

Eriksson is the most successful ­Paralympic coach in athletics history and has worked closely with a raft of international athletes.

The Swede personally coached Shelly Woods and, in his role as Paralympics GB head coach, helped oversee David Weir’s remarkable four gold medals this summer.

Eriksson’s family live in Canada and, in his previous post, he raised concerns about the distance but has now signed up to guide Britain’s Olympic athletes as they rebuild for the Rio de Janeiro Games in four years’ time.

“It is a great privilege to be asked to take on this role,” he said. “I will continue with the methods and approach that has proved so successful in the Paralympic arena, and that has been about strong performance management of our best medal prospects to maximise the likelihood of medal-winning performances.

“The Olympic team performed very well in London, finishing fourth in the world with four golds so I have a great platform on which to build. But I believe that we can still do better in Rio 2016 and, of course, when the World Athletics Championships takes place in the London Olympic Stadium in 2017. The next five years look like being an exhilarating time for British athletics.”

Eriksson has spent almost 40 years in elite sport and has experience of seven Paralympic and five Olympic Games. He is a less combative figure than the man he replaced and his appointment is likely to be a popular one.

It was welcomed by 400m runner Christine Ohuruogu, a silver medallist in London, who worked closely with Eriksson and Britain’s Paralympians as a mentor during August and ­September.

“I have such a lot of respect for Peter and what he’s achieved,” said Ohuruogu. “I’ve been in the fortunate position where I was with him over the summer at the Paralympic Games holding camp and I was struck by the fact he did whatever he could do to get the best out of our athletes. He had a real no-nonsense approach and was totally focused on winning medals.”

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