The role, which will see McFarlane team up with UK Athletics Olympic coach Lloyd Cowan, ensures that the vital relay preparations of the British team are fully supported during the Olympic build up.

McFarlane, no stranger to relay action as a coach and during his own successful sprint career, when he was a member of the silver medal-winning quartets at the 1988 Olympics and the 1986 Commonwealth Games, has continued to develop sprint talents.

More recently he has been the driving force behind the coaching of prodigious young sprinter Jodie Williams (pictured below).

UK Athletis head coach Charles Van Commenee said of the appointment: "The home Games affords us a unique opportunity to increase the man power working in support of our athletes, and Mike offers a high level of experience in relay preparations in the build up to London.

"Mike has excellent experience in coaching relays, and his continued presence as a successful coach in the sprint community means he is already a familiar face to our key athletes."


It represents a comeback for McFarlane, one of several coaches who were fired three years ago by UK Athletics in a shake-up ordered by van Commenee.

On his appointment McFarlane said: "I'm delighted to be involved with the women's 4x100 relay team.

"It's great that I was asked.

"It's a home Olympics and you can't get any bigger than that.

"It's essential that the athletes get the best possible preparation going into the Games and I'm more than happy to oblige.

"I've known Lloyd for years and we've coached and competed in the same patch for a long time now so I'm looking forward to working with him and the squad."

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