WINTER BECKONS AFTER ANOTHER USA TOUR

Trackspeed1-UK Head Coach, John Powell, is back in the UK after another hook-up with coaches in the USA prior to the squad returning for full-on winter training next week.

The highlight of John's visit in Los Angeles was his meeting with Quincy Watts and Joanna Hayes, both coaches at the University of Southern California. Watts won the Olympic 400 metres title in 1992 (Barcelona) and Hayes the gold in Athens 2004 over 100 metres hurdles.

John Powell meets Quincy Watts and Joanna Hayes at USC

John with USC Head Coach for Track and Field,
Caryl Smith-Gilbert

"It was amazing to meet two such celebrated athletes turned coaches and to chat and see the facilities at USC," said John, who also visited the infamous University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA).

At UCLA, he mingled with some of the 50,000 students, and viewed more awesome facilities, with another priceless hook-up with new speed coach Curtis Allen.

The track and field facility at UCLA

"Both schools have amazing facilities and certainly nothing we could rival," said John," but there again it is the USA, and their country is a little larger than ours, and in California they have the rather significant advantage of sunshine pretty much the year round!"

Trackspeed1-UK athletes are already into preparatory training at their Crystal Palace base, getting into shape for when their full winter programme kicks in next week. They will be looking to elaborate on the outstanding personal bests in many cases set during the 2017 summer.

A new Academy of high school pupils added to existing numbers will also be eagerly engaging with their sights set on graduating to their senior counterparts in future years.

"We have a history of over 40 years of recruiting raw talent and seeing some of it emerge in later years at international level," said John, "and that is a tradition we are very proud of. The Academy set-up now provides the opportunity for local young athletes to take advantage of a great training set-up - who knows what it may produce in the future."

The Academy training programme is devised and structured by John, with coaching delivery by former Jamaican Junior International, Dean Hylton, who is in his fifth year of training with the senior squad.

More images from John Powell's LA trip here...