Throws godfather in India

Michael Vassell, the godfather of the local throws movement, is in India.

Vassell has been recruited to help an area in India to raise its standard in track and field. The experienced coach will be based at the Andrah Pradesh Centre of Excellence for the next three years.

Vassell has produced consistently good results at Kingston College, the Convent of Mercy Alpha, St Hugh's High, and Excelsior High School and is an IAAF Level 5 certified coach. His students include 2002 World Junior team captain Kimani Kirton, Penn Relays shot put champion Nadia Alexander, and national junior discus record holder Shanice Love. Among those he coaches currently is national hammer throw record holder Cannigga Raynor.

He is also the founder and organiser of three meets that focus on throwing: the Big Shot, the King of the Ring, and the Final Fling.

His outstanding work has earned him several national coaching assignments. Most recently, he was part of the Jamaican coaching team at the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham. In the past, he has served as Carifta Games head coach and as part of the delegation to the 2015 Pan-American Games.

Tenvic Sports, the agency that hired Vassell, is executing a project to find and develop talent in the state from the junior to the elite level. Among Tenvic's principals is former India Test cricket captain Anil Kumble.

The Centre of Excellence will be based on the campus of the Acharya Nagarjuna University in the city of Guntur.

- H.L.