Who is Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s Coach? Mind Who Was Behind Flojo’s Success Leads Another World Record Holder

In 2020, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone hit the reset button, changing her coach to track and field veteran Bobby Kersee. One can say that marked the start of a winning chapter for the 24-year-old. She subsequently bagged 2 Olympic golds at Tokyo, another 400m hurdles pole position at the USATF Outdoor Championships, and a 50.68 seconds world record at the World Athletics Championships 2022. She even finished first at the recent NYC Grand Prix, with a 48.75 in the 400m dash.

Evidently, the New Jersey native’s career graph shot up in recent years with her new guiding force. But did you know not just McLaughlin-Levrone, Bobby Kersee is also connected to the late American track legend Florence Griffith Joyner? Now that’s a story worth telling your grandkids about.

Bobby Kersee, Flo-Jo’s former coach and relative is a legend in his own right

In his long and rather decorated career, Bobby Kersee has mentored some top names in track and field. As per USATF, the 2023 Legend Coach Award winner has trained multiple athletes who collectively racked up nearly 50 Olympic and World Championship medals. But amongst these success stories, Jackie Joyner-Kersee’s is particularly special, as the heptathlon world record holder was not just Bobby’s trainee but also his wife.

In fact, Jackie remains the linking factor between Bobby Kersee and Flo-Jo. Being Flo-Jo’s sister-in-law, who was married to Jackie’s brother, AI Joyner, she drew a direct familial connection between Kersee and the ‘fastest woman ever.’ However, his association with Flo-Jo had originated on professional terms. He was the one who helped her enroll at UCLA and secure financial aid at the start of her career.

Subsequently, when Kersee turned assistant coach between 1980-83, he was the guiding force behind FloJo’s NCAA achievements under UCLA. He was also FloJo’s official coach during the 1988 Olympic Trials. There, she finished first in the 100m category, clocking 10.61 seconds, the second-fastest time globally. She even bagged gold in the 200m event in 21.85 seconds, setting an American record. But soon after, FloJo switched her coaching sides to join her husband, AI Joyner.

Despite the changing dynamics, it seemed that the two shared a personal bond. Therefore, coping with her untimely demise, Kersee had expressed, “Losing Florence suddenly was a shock to the family. It took me the whole flight from St. Louis to believe it. I don’t know if I accept it….” Not just that, he even backed her against the allegations of using prohibited substances post her death. He stated, “It has never been proven that Florence has ever used anything illegally…” via SFGate.

To date, Bobby Kersee stands tall behind the success of many track stars like Athing Mu, Keni Harrison, and Jenna Prandini. However, he had a very humble start to get to this juncture. Let’s take a look.

Kersee’s career: from athletics to the coaching bench

Bobby Kersee, born in the Canal Zone, Panama, completed his schooling at San Pedro HS. This is where he started his career as a rising track and field athlete. Next, as part of the Harbor Junior College, he reached the finals as a hurdler at the state junior college meet. Subsequently, he completed his graduation in physical education from Long Beach State, followed by his master’s in exercise physiology at CSUN.

Post his graduation, Kersee worked two jobs: one was being a track coach at Cal State Northridge and the other as a counselor at a Chino-based youth facility. Mainly, he started showing great aptitude for coaching, as he led Cal State to two back-to-back Division I National Championships in the years 1978, 1979. Post this, he switched to UCLA, where over the next 9 years, he went on to coach Greg Foster, Allyson Felix, Dawn Harper, and others.

Kersee also amassed national-level coaching experience. To this end, he served as an assistant coach for the 1987 Pan American Games. Before this, he even had the exposure of guiding the sprinters for the 1985 U.S. Olympic Festival West. Eventually, his long-standing coaching endeavors bore fruit when he bagged the USOPC Olympic Coach of The Year title in 2022.

Therefore, it is undeniable that Kersee has led a marvelous career. And with Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s much-anticipated Paris Olympics appearance, hopefully, Kersee gets to add another feather to his coaching hat.