Sprint star Malcolm off to Australia

WELSHMAN Christian Malcolm is moving Down Under after being appointed head of performance and coaching at Athletics Australia.

The four-time Olympic sprinter will work with national head coach Craig Hilliard for next year’s world championships in Doha and through to the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020.

He will also work with Andrew Faichney, who was recently appointed to the newly-created role of head of high performance systems..

Malcolm, pictured above, won medals at World Championships, World Indoors and Commonwealth Games and was twice a finalist at the Olympics before turning his hand to coaching.

“Australian athletes have a very strong record at the Olympics and Commonwealth Games but we can achieve even more success by giving our coaches the support, advice and resources they need to do their job well,” Newport-born Malcolm said.

“I was on the Gold Coast for the Commonwealth Games with the Wales team and I saw the deep talent pool that exists in this country.

“Coaching is always the key factor in ensuring this sort of talent reaches its full potential. I’ll be working first and foremost with Australian coaches to ensure they are nurturing their athletes and creating the best possible training environment.”

Malcolm, 39, will move to Australia with his family next month.

Since retiring as an athlete in 2014, Malcolm has fulfilled coaching roles with the successful British relay squads, as well as working with the UK Paralympic team and Disability Wales.

Athletics Australia chief executive Darren Gocher said Malcolm had the right approach to help lead the Olympic team to Tokyo 2020.

“He has great attributes and his calibre will ensure the future of Australian athletics is strong, and furthermore that our performance leading into the World Championships in Doha next year and into the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in 2020 is of the highest quality it can be,” said Gocher.