On this day in 2012: Peter Eriksson named new Olympic head coach by UK Athletics
The Swede replaced Charles van Commenee when his contract expired the following December.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.UK Athletics appointed Swede Peter Eriksson as their new Olympic head coach on this day in 2012.
Eriksson, then 59, swapped his role as UKA’s Paralympic head coach to succeed the outgoing Charles van Commenee, whose four-year contract expired the following December.
Van Commenee chose to step down when Team GB failed to achieve his target of eight athletics medals at the 2012 Olympics.
Britain’s haul of six medals still represented a successful tenure for the Dutchman, who left big shoes for Eriksson to fill.
Eriksson, who led Britain’s Paralympic athletes to 29 medals at the London Games, 11 of which were gold, immediately set his sights on exceeding Team GB’s 2012 “golden generation”.
“The team did so well at the Olympic Games and it’s something we can build on,” Eriksson said.
“I think we have in front of us a golden generation going forward to the 2016 Games and 2017 World Championships, where we can perform even better.
“I think the next five years and beyond are going to be really exciting for the British athletics community.”
But Eriksson’s plans did not come to pass. He left the role eight months later for family reasons and returned home to Canada while Britain went on to win seven athletics medals in Rio.