Former world 100-metre record holder Asafa Powell (right) and his coach, Stephen Francis, in a relaxed mood at an early morning training session for the MVP Track Club at the Stadium East. - Contributed
When Melaine Walker cleared the last hurdle and powered to the finish line yesterday, her coach, Stephen Francis, must have also felt - in equal parts - the same exultation.
It was an additional gold for the 44-year-old coach who has been buffeted both by joy and despair this Olympic season.
Francis is the controversial coach of Asafa Powell, who was this time last year known as the 'world's fastest man' but who placed fifth in the 100 metres Olympic final on Saturday. However, since then, Francis has, along with yesterday's brilliant performance by Melaine Walker, been able to add to his credits Shelly-Ann Fraser's 100-metre gold, Shericka Williams' silver in the 400 metres and Sherone Simpson's silver in the Women's 100m.
Jamaican-born Germaine Mason, who won silver in the high jump for Britain (his father is British born), is also an MVP (Maximising Velocity and Power)-trained athlete.
Conflict
Most recently, Francis was in the news for his conflict with the Jamaica Amateur Athletics Association (JAAA) over Olympic accreditation. Such has been the nature of his relationship with local athletic interests.
In 2006, Francis told The Gleaner that his MVP track and field club was "starved of resources" but was now "the same one that everyone now seems to be proud of".
The outspoken coach is an accounting professional who has turned his back on auditing in favour of improving athletic prowess through the application of his own, refined, theories on training.
In 2000, he created Caribbean Athletics, followed by MVP track and field club with the idea of "professionalising the whole issue of coaching and to see if being in the home environment would make Jamaicans better athletes".
Says Francis: "I have always felt that Jamaican athletes were at a big disadvantage because they are not based at home. They leave (Jamaica) at 18 or 19 and become Americans who really are not interested in coming back home."
MVP intended to offer its athlete management services, coaching, as well as investment outlets. The initial response was all that Francis desired. In 2001, he recruited Asafa Powell whom he said nobody knew then.
Since 2001, Francis has improved the times of several athletes. Between this time and 2004, he took 100m hurdler Brigitte Foster-Hylton from 13.26 to the national record of 12.45.
In less than a year, 100m relay gold medallist Sherone Simpson reduced her time from 11.37 to 11.01. The evidence of Asafa Powell's world-beating times is also testimony.
Other athletes whose careers he has influenced include Michael Frater, Ainsley Waugh, Winston Smith, Kenneth Sylvester, Oral Thompson, Ryan James and Olympic high jump silver medalist Germaine Mason (who competes for Great Britain).
The coach boasts: "We love dealing with underdogs. We love proving people wrong. We love to get athletes who people think are not good. Most of our athletes have never won a race at Champs."
Francis works on technical skills, physical conditioning and, if this does not bring about improvement, "we move to the mental".
He adds: "Sometimes, we need to send the athlete to a sports psychiatrist so that he or she can visualise and achieve the calm (state of mind) needed to win a race."
Constant grasp
According to Foster-Hylton, who took home the gold in the 2006 Commonwealth Games, her coach's "constant grasp for knowledge" is what impresses her most.
"Reading is my passion, sport is my love," says coach Francis.
