During a whirlwind three-day visit to Trinidad and Tobago this week, quadruple Olympic gold medallist Michael Johnson met briefly with the Honourable Anil Roberts on Wednesday. After an introduction to the training programmes offered by Michael Johnson Performance (MJP), the conversation quickly shifted to the importance of coach development, which the MJP also provides.

Minister Roberts explained his coaching background to Mr Johnson and highlighted the need to improve the standard and quality of coaching in Trinidad and Tobago. Minister Roberts explained that although local athletes have excelled on the world stage, the coaching expertise has not developed alongside the athletes in order to identify and hone the talent which abounds in most sporting disciplines. Admitting that the best athletes don’t make the best coaches, Mr Johnson agreed that coaching is as much a science as it is an art, and coaches are fundamentally educators, meaning that those who are best at it approach the task this way.

Both men also discussed the possibility of MJP setting up one of their high performance centres in Trinidad & Tobago, or finding an alternative arrangement for MJP experts to visit regularly and work with local coaches and athletes. Before the meeting ended, Michael Johnson presented the Minister with a signed copy of his autobiography Gold Rush.