Coach of It Dat Track and Field Sports Academy Mike Ollivierre wants more attention to be directed towards middle-and long-distance running.

Olliverre was speaking at a recent press briefing where Sharon Hay-Webster, member of parlia-ment for South Central St Catherine handed over 15 pairs of Puma track shoes and spikes to It Dat at the Jose Marti High School in Twickenham Park, St Catherine.

Grossly neglected

Ollivierre, the man who was the inspiration behind a successful track and field programme at St Elizabeth Technical (STETHS) from 1981-1997, said: "Middle distance is grossly neglected by everybody. I am committed to this programme; we must have a distance runner in a final at the 2012 Olympics in London."

Ollivierre coached one of the best schoolboy middle-distance athletes in Kenroy Levy. Levy set a Carifta record of 1:48.95, to win the 800m in 1987, a record that still stands.

Levy, that same year, ran 1:48.86 seconds, to take silver behind Vere Technical's Sherwin Burgess (1:48:84), in arguably the best 800m race ever at Boys' Champs.

Set record

Also in 1987, the distance quartet of Kenroy Levy, Fitzroy Morrison, Anthony Wallace, and Owen Vassell set a school record, 7:30.2 seconds in the 4x800m at the Gibson Relays.

Ollivierre is not only a distance coach, as he had success with sprinters, hurdlers, and field-event athletes.

He coached Olympic and World Championships silver-medallist Winthrop Graham to the 1985 400m hurdles and 400m flat double, at Boys Champs.

He also worked with Dinsdale Morgan and Ian Weakley, both national 400m hurdlers, and Jermaine Mitchell, who still holds the Boys Champs 5000m record of 14:45.05, set in 1992.

Ollivierre now has in his camp 2005 Boys' Champs 5000m winner Damion Bent and current road race kingpin, Rupert Green.

Green is the reigning Burger King 10km champion.