Edrick Floréal facts for kids
| Current position | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Head coach | |||||||||||||
| Team | Texas Mens and Texas Womens | |||||||||||||
| Conference | Big 12 | |||||||||||||
| Biographical details | ||||||||||||||
| Born | October 5, 1966 Gonaïves, Haiti |
|||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Arkansas | |||||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
||||||||||||||
Edrick Floréal was born on October 5, 1966. He is a famous track and field coach for the men's and women's track teams at the University of Texas. Before becoming a coach, he was a talented athlete from Canada. He competed in the long jump and triple jump.
Edrick's Sports Journey
As an Athlete
Edrick Floréal was a very good jumper. He competed for Canada in two Summer Olympics. In 1988, he was in the triple jump at the Seoul Olympics. In 1992, he competed in the long jump at the Barcelona Olympics.
He also won a bronze medal in the triple jump at the 1990 Commonwealth Games. This was a big achievement for him and for Canada!
Edrick holds the Canadian record for the triple jump. He used to hold the record for the long jump too. His best triple jump was 17.29 meters, and his best long jump was 8.20 meters.
While in college, Edrick went to the University of Arkansas. This school was known for its amazing jumpers. He won the national college championship (NCAA) in the triple jump multiple times. He won the indoor championship in 1989 and 1990. He also won the outdoor championship in 1988, 1989, and 1990.
As a Coach
After his athletic career, Edrick became a successful coach.
- Stanford University: From 1998 to 2012, he was the director of track and field at Stanford University. He was even named "West Regional Coach of the Year" in 2010.
- University of Kentucky: In 2012, he became the head coach for both the men's and women's track and cross country teams at the University of Kentucky.
- University of Texas: Since June 2018, Edrick has been the Head Track and Field Coach at the University of Texas. He has led his teams to big victories there. The men's team won the NCAA Division I Indoor Championship in 2022. The women's team won the NCAA Division I Outdoor Championship in 2023.
His Family Life
Edrick Floréal is married to LaVonna Martin-Floreal. LaVonna is also a famous athlete! She won a silver medal in the 100-meter hurdles at the 1992 Olympics.
They have two children. One of their sons, E.J., played basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team. Later, he decided to join the University of Kentucky track program full-time, following in his parents' footsteps!
