Before Noah Lyles stepped onto the track for the 100m final at the Paris 2024 Olympics, his coach told him something pretty bold, “The next time I see you, you’ll be an Olympic champion.” And guess what? Lyles didn’t just live up to that. He smashed it, taking home gold in the 100m and bronze in the 200m. But who’s the guy behind Lyles’ success? That would be Lance Brauman. He’s a former Auburn track athlete who’s now one of the top coaches in the game.

Brauman’s known for his tough but effective training, turning stars like Noah Lyles and Wayde van Niekerk into legends. But here’s where it gets interesting. Now, Brauman’s coaching another big name: this 28-year-old British sprinter who, fun fact, once beat Sha’Carri Richardson. Pretty impressive, right? So what makes her want to train under Brauman? After all, he’s got a history of turning athletes into stars, but there’s also a bit of controversy in his past. So what’s drawing this athlete to his camp?

Leaving behind the “supercar” for Lance Brauman’s coaching legacy

Recently, on January 21st, Daryll Neita, the 3x Olympic bronze medalist made a big coaching change. She’s spent the last two years training in Italy with coach Marco Airale, who’s called her a “supercar.” Pretty high praise, right? Under his guidance, Neita hit some career milestones. She secured her first individual international medal in 2022, with a 100m bronze at both the European and Commonwealth Games. But now, she’s decided its time for something new. She’s heading to Florida to train with Lance Brauman’s Pure Athletics group.

But Neita’s coaching journey hasn’t been without drama. Before Airale, she was training with coach Rana Reider in Florida. But in March 2022, Neita left after multiple s*xual abuse allegations against Reider came to light. The situation led to an investigation by US SafeSport, and UK Athletics warned Neita that staying with Reider could cost her funding. So, given her experience, why would Neita choose to work with Brauman now, knowing his past? Remember Brauman’s past?

Back in 2006, Lance Brauman, a former track coach at Barton County Community College, found himself at the center of a major scandal. He was caught using federal work-study programs and campus jobs to illegally pay athletes for work they didn’t do. Brauman was convicted of embezzlement, theft, and mail fraud after it came to light that he had falsified academic records for athletes like sprinter Tyson Gay, helping them transfer to other schools with fake credits.

The fraud scheme caused the college to lose $16,809 through federal work-study funds, plus $109,477 from campus jobs. The jury sentenced him to prison for his fraud against the college. However, the controversy does not seem to have any repercussions on Lance Brauman’s career. Moreover, with Darylle Neita now joining the roster, Lance Brauman has made one thing clear. He is at the top of his game!

Apart from Noah Lyles, Brauman coaches an impressive lineup of athletes

Lance Brauman is one of the top track and field coaches right now. He runs the Adidas-sponsored PURE Athletic Club, where he trains a seriously impressive group of athletes. In 2024, his squad includes big names like Gina Luckenkemper and Junelle Bromfield for the women’s events. And on the men’s side, he’s coaching stars like Noah Lyles, Wayde van Niekerk, Kendall Williams, Elija Godwin, Jereem Richards, and more. But the real question is: can he bring the best out of Daryll Neita as he did with Noah Lyles?

Neita can still increase her sprinting speed because her previous records show 10.90 in the 100m and 22.16 in the 200m. When the Paris Olympics 2024 concluded, Julien Alfred reached the best 200m performance of 10.72 seconds for his gold medal victory. With the next Olympics just three years away, in Los Angeles 2028, Neita has time to close that gap. Brauman’s coaching philosophy has already produced some incredible results. His method of focusing on high-intensity, shorter-duration workouts could be exactly what Neita needs to take her performance to the next level.

Brauman’s approach also emphasizes vertical integration, ensuring that all aspects of an athlete’s training work together seamlessly year-round. This could be just the strategy Neita needs to enhance her sprinting. Brauman’s training techniques have already done wonders for athletes like Noah Lyles since 2017. Lyles’ personal bests of 9.79 in the 100m and 19.31 in the 200m show just how effective Brauman’s coaching methods are. So, with all this in mind, it’s hard not to believe that Brauman could help Neita improve her sprints as well. What do you think? Comment below and let us know.