Athletics: Swiss clocks in for duty
By Steve Landells
5:30 AM Sunday Nov 28, 2010
Valerie Adams’ new coach says the world and Olympic shot put champion can consistently throw more than 21m under his guidance.
Jean-Pierre Egger, a Swiss, is expected to take over the role following Adams’ split with her second coach in the past eight months, Didier Poppe. The Kiwi parted company with long-time mentor Kirsten Hellier in March.
An official announcement is expected from Adams this week. She said yesterday the past few weeks had been “horrendous” as she worked through her coaching situation as well as personal issues.
Egger will oversee the role with countryman Werner Gunthor whom he coached to three consecutive world titles between 1987 and 1993.
The precise nature of the coach-athlete relationship is expected to be formalised in January when Adams plans to fly to Switzerland for 10 days to meet and train with Egger.
“She gave me a proposition of coming to Switzerland in three different periods to work with us,” Egger said.
“Valerie is a fine person and I’m looking forward to working with her. It’s my wish we can come to an arrangement to make this work.”
Egger admitted Adams also proposed a two-month training stint in the Swiss city of Macolin in April and May and she also intends to base herself there in July - the height of the European athletics season.
Egger briefly trained Adams last summer but, as a personal friend of both Poppe and Hellier, revealed the sensitive nature of accepting the role as her new coach.
“I knew she had big problems with Didier and the situation is very complicated for me because Didier is a good friend of mine and Kirsten is a good friend,” he explained. “Valerie rang and was very saddened by what had happened and asked if Werner and I could coach her. I said, ‘yes, we can help, but we need to sort out a plan’. Together with Werner, we can find the time to help her. Alone, it would be more difficult.”
Adams spoke enthusiastically of the brief period she spent with Egger and Gunthor last summer, which preceded her best performance of the season, a victory in the IAAF Continental Cup over arch-rival Nadzeya Ostapchuk.
Egger is a former shot putter who competed at the 1976 and 1980 Olympics. Not only does he have a fine coaching pedigree in athletics but he’s also a former strength and conditioning coach for Swiss football club Grasshoppers and the 2000 Olympic silver-medal winning French basketball team. Egger also worked with 2003 America’s Cup winners Alinghi.
He is familiar with working with elite athletes and is enthusiastic at the prospect of working with Adams, who he believes is a quick learner.
"Valerie has immense physical qualities, which is a huge advantage. She stands 1.96m, which is as tall as me and the weight is about the same.
“She also showed me in our brief time together last summer she can progress technically. I did five technical sessions with her working on precision and control and she understood perfectly what was asked of her and managed to reproduce this in competition.”
He also believes he can make some adjustments in her weight training to improve her strength. However, he warns it is important for her not to gain too much weight in the process.
“The problem with Valerie could be injuries,” he explained.
"She has had back problems in the past and in the next year we must pay attention to this. It is important not to make her too heavy and for her to be very fast in the circle.
“I know she has thrown over 21m once, but it’s possible for her to throw over 21m more consistently. I don’t want to get carried away and say she can throw over 22m but 21m, that is possible, for sure.”
The world record of 22.63m, set by Natalya Lisovskaya of the Soviet Union, is tainted by drugs and is not thought to ever be broken.
Adams’ best is 21.07m, set at the 2009 world athletics final in Greece. Poppe said last month he could add another metre to her record.