He is the second raid UK Athletics have been on Canada in a week after announcing that Peter Eriksson will be the head coach for the Paralympics.

 

Tyler has been appointed as strategic head of coaching and development.

 

As founder of the Canadian Athletics Coaching Centre, has developed a world-class reputation for creating innovative and effective programmes for coach education, athlete development and youth development.

 

Tyler is also a leading international coach in his own right, most recently coaching Tyler Christopher to 400 metres gold in the World Indoor Championships in Valencia earlier this year.

 

But, it is in his role as a coach of coaches that he has had the greatest impact.

 

He has created a global online education resource - widely credited as one of the leading websites in the world for athletics coaching www.athleticscoaching.ca

 

The 45-year-old Tyler said: “I am so excited to be taking up this post with UK Athletics, which I believe is an organisation that has the potential to lead the world of athletics and coach development.

 

"We need to create an environment where coaches, at every level, are excited about being involved in the sport, and feel valued.

 

"I'm looking forward to doing what I do on a world stage.

 

"I think absolutely hosting a home Olympics, everyone's [medal] targets are going to be higher.

 

"Hopefully I can go over and in a small way contribute to that."

 

Tyler leaves behind one of Canada's strongest sprint groups in Edmonton that includes Christopher,who also won the bronze medal at the 2005 world championships, and Adam Kunkel, the 2007 Pan American Games champion in the 400m hurdles.

 

Tyler plans to accompany his sprinters to a training camp in Arizona on December 30, before heading to Birmingham, where he will begin his UK Athletics job on February 1.

 

That will coincide with the official arrival of Dutchman Charles van Commenee as the new head coach and Eriksson, a Swede, who coached Canadian wheelchair racer Chantal Petitclerc, who captured five gold medals at the Beijing Paralympics, and he was honoured as Athletics Canada's coach of the year for 2008.

 

Tyler, a former sprinter and member of the Canadian Olympic bobsled team at the 1988 Calgary Games, was also the head of the Canadian Athletic Coaching Centre at the University of Alberta.

 

Niels de Vos, UK Atheltics chief executive, said: “I am delighted that Kevin will be joining the new team at UKA.

 

"He is without doubt one of the best coach educators in the world and his experience means we can move the crucial area of coach development forward very quickly.

 

“Kevin is an outstanding coach, but his real reputation is as a coach of coaches who makes things happen.

 

"He will lead all areas of elite coach education and development and will work closely with England Athletics to ensure there is a consistent and relevant approach to coaching throughout the sport.”

 

UK Athletics also announced today that Dr Craig Ranson, currently the national lead physiotherapist for the England and Wales Cricket Board (EWCB), has been appointed chief physiotherapist. 

 

Ranson will make the move from cricket to athletics in the New Year and will be mainly based at Loughborough University High Performance Centre (HiPAC) but also splitting his time between other centres in Lee Valley, Brunel University and Birmingham.

 

He said: “I am excited to make the move to athletics.

 

"It is a not only a great time to become involved in a high profile Olympic sport in the lead up to 2012 but a fantastic opportunity to work with athletes who are working at maximum physical exertion all the time.”

 

The Australian , who has lived in the UK for 10 years, has spent much of his career working in cricket, primarily at Derbyshire Country Cricket Club and more recently the EWCB where he has been for the past three years .

 

His other experience within performance sports is diverse , working within Australian track and field athletics, the Western State under-16 Australian Rules football team, Cottesloe Rugby Union Football Club and at the Hopman Cup International Tennis Tournament.

 

De Vos said: "I am pleased to announce Craig will be joining the UK Athletics medical team.

 

"His impressive CV and previous work within performance sport speaks volumes about his dedication and expertise in sports physiotherapy and I am sure our sport will benefit a great deal from his presence in the run up to 2012."

 

The appointment allows UK Athletics current chief physiotherapist Neil Black to concentrate on his new role as acting UK Athletics lead on medicine and sports science, after performing both roles for the past nine months.