A former High Jumper, Ankrom has been operating in High Performance Sport over the past fifteen years and since 2007 as High Performance Director of Athletics New Zealand. His appointment in Ireland will be effective from April 2011. Ankrom in particular will be hoping to add value to the programmes in place for athletes likely to compete in London 2012 whilst implementing a concurrent programme for the next generation of athletes who will compete in Rio 2016.
Previous roles for Kevin Ankrom have been:
* Performance Manager/National Team Head Coach – Hong Kong Sports Institute
* Junior Performance Manager/National Team Coach – Bahrain National Team
* He has also worked at university level in the U.S. in various coaching capacities, including Head Track & Field/Cross Country Coach at North Carolina-Wilmington and Valparaiso University U.S.A.
John Foley, C.E.O. Athletics Ireland:
“I am delighted that Kevin is joining Athletics Ireland, and I am confident that he will be successful in the direction and implementation of key strategies to deliver a world class high performance programme to support our talented athletes.”
Ray Flynn, Chairman of High Performance, Athletics Ireland:
“Kevin Ankrom has worked and been successful in High Performance Programmes in a number of countries and brings a wealth of experience with him to Athletics Ireland. I look forward to Kevin driving High Performance up to London 2012 and on to Rio de Janeiro 2016.”
Kevin Ankrom:
“I am excited about the challenges, competitive opportunities, and the development of a High Performance programme for Athletics Ireland leading into London 2012 and Rio 2016. Most importantly, I am looking forward in meeting with our high performance athletes and coaches and discussing ways of support for the future.”
