July 26, 2012
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Edrick Floreal’s summer continues to get busier. Less than a week after being named the first new Kentucky track and field head coach in 28 years, Floreal is in London as an assistant coach for USA in the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.
Floreal, a former Olympian himself, will coach the men’s jumps and combined events for Team USA.
“It’s a great honor and reward to represent the USA as an Olympic coach,” Floreal said. “As a former Olympian, I am able to help the men jumpers and decathletes with their final preparation.”
Qualification for the men’s long jump begins Aug. 3 at 2:50 p.m. ET, while the finals will be Aug. 4 at 2:55 p.m. ET. Qualification for the men’s high jump begins Aug. 5 at 2:05 p.m. ET, and the finals will be Aug. 7 at 2:00 p.m. ET. The men’s triple jump will begin Aug. 7 at 5:45 a.m. ET with qualification, while the finals will take place Aug. 9 at 2:20 p.m. ET. The men’s decathlon will take place Aug. 8-9.
Floreal served as an assistant at UK during the 1996-98 seasons before breathing life in the Stanford track and field program, where he spent his last 14 seasons and last six as head coach.
In his six years as head coach in Palo Alto, Calif., the Cardinal men and women enjoyed tremendous success at the conference and NCAA championship level. A four-time Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Coach of the Year, the 2009 West Regional Indoor Coach of the Year and the 2006 West Regional Outdoor Coach of the Year, Floreal developed the Stanford sprinters, hurdlers and jumpers into Pac-12 and NCAA Championship contenders. Under his watch, more than 50 Stanford athletes earned 142 All-America honors.
Last season, the Cardinal men’s and women’s teams posted a top-10 finish, three top-15 finishes and four top-20 finishes at the NCAA men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor championships. The Stanford women tallied a sixth-place finish in the NCAA outdoor championship, including one individual national championship in the pole vault and a 13th-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships. The men’s squad finished 11th in the NCAA Indoors and 18th at the NCAA Outdoors, including an individual championship in the 400-meter hurdles.
Combined, Floreal’s athletes garnered two national championships and 16 All-America honors. Additionally, four of Floreal’s athletes will represent four different countries (Bermuda, Greece, Nigeria and the United States) in the 2012 Summer Olympics.
In 2011, Floreal led Stanford to a pair of national top-15 finishes. The Cardinal men placed eighth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, while the women were 14th. The season was highlighted by 10 athletes earning 15 All-America honors.
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