Joska Le Conté in the Netherlands and Switzerland, Elfje Willemsen in Canada, Dorin Grigore in Korea
Lausanne (RWH) The coaches of the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation (IBSF) are in high demand internationally through their work with the athletes of the emerging nations. Three of the coaches, who were working for the IBSF last winter, have now switched to different national federations.
Joska Le Conté from the Netherlands, who as Skeleton athlete finished sixth at the 2016 European Championships, has been working as a Skeleton coach for the IBSF since 2018. Now the 33-year-old is a World Cup coach in her home country and works with Kimberley Bos, the Olympic eighths of PyeongChang 2018. In addition, she is on tour with the Swiss Skeleton team at the IBSF Intercontinental Cup.
Elfje Willemsen (BEL), Olympic sixth in 2014 and European Championship silver medallist in 2016 in 2-woman Bobsleigh, has also been a Bobsleigh coach in the IBSF development programme since 2018. As of October 2020, the 35-year-old Belgian is technical driving coach for the Bobsleigh athletes from Canada.
Dorin Grigore (35) is heading over to the junior coach field. The former Romanian Bobsleigh pilot is transferring from the IBSF development coaching team to in Korea. The project there serves to promote young athletes from all over South East Asia.
"We are proud that all three strengthened the IBSF team after finishing their active careers, found their way into the role of coach so quickly and are now in demand internationally," said IBSF Development Coordinator Manfred Maier.
The IBSF coaches are part of the development programme of the Olympic Winter Sports Federation. In preparation, courses and competitions they support athletes from nations without their own track and without athletes in the top 25 to 35 of the IBSF discipline ranking.
In the IBSF team, Latvian Edgars Maskalans will be the successor of Elfje Willemsen as Bobsleigh Europe Cup coach. Dorin Velicu (ROU), previously co-trainer of Joska Le Conté in the youth field, succeeds the Dutch as IBSF Skeleton coach for Intercontinental and Europe Cup. IBSF coaches in North America are Bryan Berghorn (USA, Bob) and the 2016 Junior World Champion Lelde Priedulena (LAT, Skeleton). ©RWH2020
