Pickering, who will be based from June 1 at UK Athetlics' National Performance Centre in Loughborough, will provide leadership within the heavy throws event area including technical methodology, coaching programmes and event development programmes, and will work alongside the organisation's strategic head of coaching and development, Kevin Tyler, Home Countries national coach mentors and UK Athletics development and apprentice coaches.

He replaces Bob Weir, who quit last October after less than a year in the role.
 
Pickering's position will also include development across the Olympic and Paralympic programmes, and will he serve as a performance management role with athletes as required.

Tyler said: "Shaun has been integral to a number of innovative and successful events delivered by UKA in recent years, most notably the World Class Throws Conference held in 2007.

"His contacts in the sport are extremely valuable and with that he’s been able further develop the knowledge and experience he gained from participating at the highest level himself.

"He’s well respected in the sport and will undoubtedly serve as a strong leader for heavy throws events in the UK, working effectively with coaches and athletes to contribute to and enrich the coaching culture within athletics."

Pickering, 48, represented Britian at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and, representing Wales, won a bronze medal in the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumapr.

He was born into an athletics family.

Ron Pickering was a former national coach in Wales who coached Lynn Davies to the Olympic long jump title at Tokyo in 1964 but who earned greater fame as the voice of athletics on the BBC for many years until his death in 1991.

Besides his father, Pickering's mother Jean Desforges was one of Britain's leading athletes who won an Olympic bronze medal in the 4x100 metres at Helsinki in 1952 and was the European long jump champion in 1954.

Pickering said: "For several months now I have acted as a heavy throws consultant to UKA and have worked closely with the coaches in this area to establish just how we can move this fantastic area of the sport forward and to ensure that they have the best knowledge and practices available to them.

"It is important that we work together to ensure not only representation at 2012, but also a long term plan to bring athletes through for 2016 and beyond."


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