The European U20 cross nation silver medallist is making big progress coaching alongside Olympic 1500m champion
George Couttie claimed his first European medal in fashion on the European Cross Nation Championships in Antalya, sprinting to males’s U20 silver in a dramatic end in opposition to Dutch star Niels Laros in December.
A key consider his success? Coaching below the steering of Ben Thomas, the identical coach behind 1500m Olympic champion Cole Hocker.
From Harrogate, Couttie joined Virginia Tech College final summer season after spending a 12 months in Charleston and, since then, he has taken big strides ahead, including that cross nation silver to a standout 12 months that additionally noticed him end 14th on the NCAA Cross Nation Championships and attain the 3000m ultimate on the World U20 Championships in Lima.
Now, as he enters his first observe season with Virginia Tech, Couttie is aiming for nationwide titles and to proceed making his mark on the worldwide stage.
George Couttie (Virginia Tech)
How did you first get into athletics?
I used to run at school and do cross nation. I received fairly good at it and I began parkruns. I did the primary ever parkrun in my native space after I was 9 years outdated and that’s how it began.
I didn’t begin observe till quite a bit afterward. That was as a result of, after I left faculty I couldn’t do cross nation all through the summer season so I picked it up, tried it out and actually loved it.
Why did you resolve to maneuver to Virginia Tech?
I spent a 12 months in Charleston in West Virginia after which transferred to Virginia Tech. The primary cause was due to Ben Thomas, who coaches Cole Hawker and Cooper Teare. The college has unbelievable services and I really like the way in which Ben coaches. Some folks say it’s a bit completely different and peculiar but it surely actually works for me.
You don’t get the standard coaching classes. It’s by no means: “Go do some 400ms on the observe”, it’s at all times one thing completely different. We go from the cross nation course to the observe and to the hills multi function exercise. It’s by no means typical, it’s at all times bizarre and there may be at all times a twist.
It’s all various things that I’ve by no means executed earlier than and I actually like the thought of all of the cross coaching we do, as nicely. I’ve been fairly low mileage my entire life, I’ve by no means hit 100km per week till this 12 months.
What’s your relationship like with Ben?
He’s an attention-grabbing coach. He won’t ever sugarcoat something to present you loopy quantities of reward. Whenever you get a nicely executed, you realize you’ve executed a very good job, which I actually like as an athlete. I like that he’s sincere and when he tells you you can run a sure time, you realize that it’s doable, which provides you a variety of confidence going into races.
George Couttie (Gary Mitchell)
What’s it like coaching alongside Cole Hocker and Cooper Teare?
We regularly do exercises with the post-collegiates like Cole and Cooper. More often than not they do the identical exercises as us, however generally it’ll be at completely different occasions.
We’ll generally go on our long term exercises with them. I keep in mind first getting right here and seeing him [Hocker] come to observe and it was a really cool second, however you do get used to it. It’s good to see them doing the identical stuff as you and provides you confidence when you’ve got the identical coach.
You see each Cole and Cooper who each dominated the faculty scene once they had been in school and now Cole’s profitable world medals and Cooper isn’t too far off. I believe it’s actually cool to see the coaching repay for them, figuring out that it’s going to hopefully work simply as nicely for me.
How did it really feel to win the European Cross U20 silver medal?
It was a loopy confidence booster simply to have the ability to compete with a tremendous athlete [like Niels Laros]. Straight after the race I used to be aggravated since you are in a race to win and also you don’t need to come second. The dash end is certainly going to carry onto me for a bit however I’ll be again and hopefully have the ability to race him once more on the observe and perhaps will probably be a unique story.
However in hindsight it was nonetheless a tremendous outcome and it was very nice to indicate how good my type is outdoors of the UK. I’ve been on a pair groups however I really feel like I’ve by no means been in a position to carry out to the extent that I’ve been at and that was the primary time I assumed I confirmed what I used to be able to.
Niels Laros (Getty)
Who do you look as much as?
Clearly Mo Farah. He was the one athlete I actually knew again then and I at all times appeared as much as him as a child and skim his e book.
I look as much as George Mills now. He lives close to the place my household are within the UK and he used to run on the identical membership I did [Harrogate]. His outdated coach was my outdated coach and I believe he’s a tremendous athlete and he’s tremendous devoted.
Would you advocate the collegiate route?
I might undoubtedly advocate it however I might additionally say watch out. You hear a variety of horror tales about folks going over to the US and hating each second of it. It’s good to discover the fitting match. If it’s the proper match then will probably be the perfect determination you’ll ever make. Take your time, get to know the coaches, ask the fitting questions and will probably be a tremendous selection.
What are your objectives for the 12 months forward?
Indoors, hopefully I can see how shut I can get to profitable a nationwide title, and even to qualify for the 3000m indoors [at the European Championships] can be good. Outside, I additionally need to see how shut I can get to profitable a title after which I’ll perhaps even strive for the Tokyo World group this summer season if the time is true.
I’ve received a sense that I may have an opportunity to run perhaps one of many qualifying requirements after which hopefully I can get myself there. If not, then the European U23 Championships will certainly be on the playing cards.
This interview first appeared within the February difficulty of AW journal, which you should purchase right here