AS THE STARS of his Olympic trainees rise, so does coach extraordinaire Lance Brauman’s own star.
But who is the coach behind Noah Lyles and Matthew Hudson Smith?
Lance is the the head coach and founder of PURE Athletics group.
PURE Athletics is a leading international sprint group, which works with many Olympians and world champions.
The American trainer is also the coach of Noah Lyles and Matthew Hudson-Smith.
Noah Lyles is an American 100m sprinter, who won a gold at the Paris 2024 Games despite his foot not crossing the finish line first.
Instead, running is measured by whose chest crosses the finish line first making Noah the winner of the gold.
Noah is more comfortable competing in 200m races, where he has time to build to his full speed.
Lance was confident that Noah would win at the Paris Games.
He said: “I thought he was going to run a PB (personal best). I have for the past three weeks.
“It was just a matter of: Was he going to run a big enough PB to win the race? And he did.”
Matthew Hudson-Smith is a 400m runner representing Team GB.
He will race for the 400m men’s gold on August 7, 2024 but fans are hopeful that he will win.
Early in his coaching career, Lance was found guilty of one count of embezzlement, three counts of mail fraud and one count of theft.
This took place whilst he was at Barton County Community College.
After serving nine months in a federal prison in Texarkana, Texas, he was released and began coaching his former protegee Tyson Gay.
Tyson went on to win a 100m gold medal at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, which he dedicated to Lance.
However, Tyson was stripped of his London 2021 Silver medal after he he failed a drugs test before the 2013 World Championships.
WHAT TO WATCH TODAY
TODAY’S BRIT MEDAL HOPES
Team GB could add medals in the men’s and women’s team pursuit in the velodrome (5.30pm) to their track cycling tally.
Matthew Hudson-Smith may be in contention for a podium finish in the men’s 400m final but American Quincy Hall and Grenada’s Kirani James are favourites (8.20pm).
BRITS TO WATCH
Skateboarding legend Andy Macdonald makes his Olympics debut in the men’s park event aged 51 (11.30am).
Toby Roberts goes into his preferred lead climbing phase of the bouldering and lead sport climbing semi-final in third with Hamish McArthur in eighth (9am).
Max Burgin, Elliot Giles and Ben Pattison, 2023 world bronze medallist, begin their 800m campaigns (10.55am).
And Eleanor Aldridge and Connor Bainbridge are in sailing kite action (11.10am).
GLOBAL STARS TODAY
After Scottie Scheffler secured USA gold for the men, golfing superstar Nelly Korda begins her quest for glory in the women’s tournament at Le Golf National (8am). Georgia Hall and Charley Hull go for GB.
Atthaya Thitikul, though, will hope to stop Korda and win Thailand’s first Olympic medal in a sport other than boxing, taekwondo or weightlifting.
Nigerian world record-holder Tobi Amusan goes in round one of the 100m women’s hurdles (9.15am).
And Australia’s Nina Kennedy and America’s Katie Moon will battle it out for pole vault gold after sharing the world title last year (6pm).
FANCY SOMETHING DIFFERENT?
The marathon race walk mixed relay goes off at 6.30am.
But if that’s too early or not getting your Olympic juices flowing, there are two weightlifting finals – the men’s 61kg (2pm) and the women’s 49kg (6.30pm).
STATS MAD
6.06 – Poland’s Aleksandra Miroslaw broke the women’s speed climbing world record not once but twice on Monday, scaling the 15m wall in 6.21 seconds and then 6.06 seconds just moments later.
Can she break it again and win gold today? Final at 10.50am.
Follow all the action as it unfolds with our Paris 2024 Olympics LIVE blog.
