Representing Ireland as the first Irish woman athlete, Rhasidat Adeleke is coming with patriotic dreams on her shoulder. Yes, she has the national record for all sprint distances, from 60m indoors to 400m, which is her preferred distance. However, the Olympics tell a different story. 

But she also has the support of two-time Olympian Edrick Floreal, aka Coach Flo. Interestingly, his coach seems to be an interesting man with special ties to the Olympics. Let’s learn more about him!

What does the personal life of Edrick Floreal look like?

Edrick Floreal was born in 1967 in Haiti, the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, and is known as Coach Flo in the world of track and field. Though he’s widely known for his coaching career, the 57-year-old has been rather private about his childhood. The only available information about his early life is that he attended the University of Arkansas for college. Floreal represented Canada twice in the triple jump, in the years 1988 and 1992. Interestingly, he is married to an Olympian as well.

His wife, LaVonna Martin-Floreal, is also a two-time Olympian for the years 1988 and 1992. Coach Flo also has a son named Edrick Junior, who is currently part of his coaching staff. He took on the role of head coach for track and field at the University of Texas in June 2018. Before starting coaching in Texas, he was head coach of the USA men’s team for the 2015 World Championships and the USA’s jumps and multi-events coach at the London Olympics.

He seems to have an interest in movies and is quite fond of the movie ‘Devil’s Advocate,’ as revealed on the Irish Independent’s website. He met Rhasidat Adeleke while coaching at the University of Texas and is at the 2024 Paris Olympics with her. While Adeleke is aiming for gold with Coach Flo by her side, she recently gave a tribute to her first coach. 

Rhasidat Adeleke’s first coach showed her “values to have in life”

It happened in April of this year. Ireland’s Fastest Woman was getting ready to kick off at the Paris Olympics, and she heard some unfortunate news. Her first coach, Johnny Fox, passed away at the age of 83 after coaching Irish athletes for a long time. She was at the University of Texas when this happened, and she expressed her sadness and gave a tribute to her first coach, as per the Irish Times. 

“He was my first coach at Tallaght since I was about 12, 13, and he built me up so much, Not just as an athlete, but my characteristics as an individual. He showed me the values to have in life, and he is so wise,” said the 21-year-old. While talking about what she learned from her first coach, Adeleke added, “He lived through so many experiences and shared those with me so I can learn from those experiences and not have to endure certain things myself. He did so much for me.” 

Carrying her first coach’s memory, Rhasidat Adeleke is at the Paris Olympics. Do you think she will be able to win gold for the first time?