RALEIGH, North Carolina, 10 July 2003 — Triple Olympic champion Marion Jones and her partner, world 100-meters record holder Tim Montgomery, named Dan Pfaff as their new coach on Tuesday.
Pfaff, who was an assistant coach at the University of Texas for the last seven years, had coached Canada’s Donovan Bailey to the 100-meter world record in 1996.
“We are extremely excited and looking forward to working with someone as experienced as Dan,” the couple said in a statement on Tuesday.
“We feel that Dan will bring an element to our training that we have never experienced before, particularly his expertise as a technician in the sprints as well as the long jump.”
Pfaff had been tipped last month to be appointed after he spent time working with Montgomery at the US Nationals.
The 49-year-old Pfaff is a specialist in both the sprints and field events, which would help Jones, who has said she would like to compete in both the long jump and sprints next year at the Athens Olympics.
Jones has taken this year off after giving birth to her and Montgomery’s son, also named Tim, who was born on June 28.
She will begin working with Pfaff in September, when she is cleared to resume training, while Montgomery will begin working with him immediately, the statement said.
Bailey set the then-world record of 9.84 seconds at the Atlanta Olympics. It has since been broken by first American Maurice Greene and then compatriot Montgomery, who clocked 9.78 seconds last September in Paris.
Jones and Montgomery had been without a coach since splitting from long-term mentor Trevor Graham last year.
They worked with banned Canadian coach Charlie Francis over the Northern Hemisphere’s winter but left him after an international uproar.
Francis was banned for life from coaching Canadian athletes after Ben Johnson tested positive for steroids following his 100 meters victory in world record time at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
Greene, Montgomery, Dragila
Head US World Team
Indianapolis, Indiana, five world champions, including Olympic gold medalists Maurice Greene and Stacy Dragila, headline the US team for the Aug. 23-31 IAAF world championships in Paris, USA Track & Field announced on Tuesday.
The team also includes 100-meter world record holder Tim Montgomery and the 2001 world champions in three other events — 110-meter hurdler Allen Johnson, shot putter John Godina and women’s 100-meter hurdler Anjanette Kirkland. All five received automatic entry to Paris as defending champions.
Greene has won the last three 100-meter world titles and Dragila is the two-time defending world champion and world outdoor record holder in the women’s pole vault.
US world indoor champions Tyree Washington (men’s 400 meters), David Krummenacker (men’s 800 meters), Dwight Phillips (men’s long jump), Gail Devers (women’s hurdles), Regina Jacobs (women’s 1,500 meters) and decathlete Tom Pappas, who won the indoor heptathlon, also will compete in Paris.
World 200-meter bronze medalist Kelli White, who won the 100 and 200 meters at last month’s US championships, will also be among the American favorites.
White, Washington, Johnson, Jacobs, shot putter Kevin Toth, high jumper Matt Hemmingway, long jumper Savante Stringfellow and women’s 200-meter runner Allyson Felix currently have the best performances in the world this year in their specialties.
