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British pole-vault hope Holly Bleasdale joins Greg Rutherford's American super-coach Dan Pfaff
Holly Bleasdale, the UK pole vault record-holder and world indoor bronze medallist, is hoping American ‘super-coach’ Dan Pfaff can take her to new heights following his successes at the London Olympics and Paralympics.

High flier: Holly Bleasdale hopes the change of coach will help her fulfil her potential Photo: GETTY IMAGES
By Simon Hart, Athletics Correspondent11:59PM BST 09 Oct 2012Comment
Pfaff, an expert in multiple disciplines who guided Greg Rutherford to Olympic long-jump glory and amputee Jonnie Peacock to victory in the T44 100 metres at the Paralympics, has agreed to coach the 20 year-old, who finished equal sixth at the Olympics and is one of Britain’s outstanding prospects.
The arrangement will involve Bleasdale in some transatlantic travelling because Pfaff has now returned to his home in Texas to be with his family, but the Lancashire athlete is hoping his knowledge and experience can turn her into a world-beater.
“He’s done a great job with Greg and Jonnie and hopefully he’ll be able to improve me technically and get me more conditioned to help me jump higher,” she said.
Pfaff, 58, who coached Canadian Donovan Bailey to the Olympic 100m gold medal in Atlanta in 1996, has already proved his pole-vault credentials by guiding Steve Lewis to the men’s UK record and fifth place in the Olympic final in London — the best-ever result by a British pole vaulter.
Bleasdale will now train alongside Lewis, with both athletes dividing their time between their new headquarters in Cardiff and Pfaff’s training base in Phoenix, Arizona, where they will link up with the American — as well as Rutherford and Peacock – for extended training camps before Christmas and between the indoor and outdoor seasons next year. Pfaff will also travel to Europe to watch his athletes compete during their indoor and outdoor campaigns.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sp ... coach.html


Holly is Pfaffing around
EXCLUSIVE By VIKKI ORVICE Last Updated: 10th October 2012
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HOLLY Bleasdale has teamed up with a new coach following heart-to-heart talks with Charles van Commenee in a bid to get her career back on track.
Pole vaulter Bleasdale has joined forces with American Dan Pfaff — who led Greg Rutherford to Olympic long jump gold — and split with personal coach Julien Raffalli.

Bleasdale was tipped to get on the podium at London 2012 after winning bronze at the World Indoors this year — but instead could only manage sixth place in windy conditions at the Olympic Stadium.

And after lengthy talks with British head coach Charles van Commenee she has now moved from her home in the North-West to Cardiff to work with Pfaff.

It will also mean trips to training camps in Arizona — with the first next month — when Pfaff moves back to his home in America.

Bleasdale, 20, said: "I spoke to Charles twice a day for a week and he was really helpful.

"My coach was still working full-time and felt he couldn't do another year like that coaching me as well.

"Working with Dan is a great opportunity and hopefully the move will pay off."

Lancashire lass Bleasdale said: "It's a big move for me because I've never lived away from home but I feel so strongly that this is going to work.

"It worked for Greg Rutherford in a short space of time so I don't feel as if anything can go wrong. Greg went on to win gold and Steve Lewis who also works with Dan would never have thought he could finish fifth in the men's pole vault.

"After the Olympics I was upset that I hadn't jumped higher but then I thought about the weather that day and all the things I had to cope with this year which put things into perspective.

"After such a good indoor season there was a lot of expectation on me and with the Olympics being at home there was a lot of pressure. But it was still the best year of my career so far."

Van Commenee — who himself quits as British head coach in January — is known to dislike the use of pesonal coaches at UK Athletics instead preferring athletes to base themselves at high performance centres such as Lee Valley, Birmingham and Cardiff.