– Like a father figure – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule

Olympic and World Cup champion Harvey Glance was found dead earlier this summer, aged 66. The American was among the world’s fastest in the 70s, and transferred his experience to new talent after his own active career was over. Among those Glance took under his wing was the 400 meter runner, Kirani James. The island state of Grenada’s great pride is in place in the WC, but on the emotional level the weeks before the championship could hardly be worse. – It has been a turbulent charging. I lost my trainer in June. I have tried to adapt. I have had many good people in my life who have helped me during this time. I am grateful for that, he tells news. TRIAL HEAT: Kirani James, left-centre, made it safely through to the semi-finals of the World Cup. Photo: Reuters – Completing the beautiful story of his life Glance died doing what he loved most, the family told the Ledger Enquirer. The 66-year-old had just finished his daily training routine, which involved walking a few kilometers around the athletics track at Mesa Community College in Arizona, USA. Glance sat down in a chair at the side of the court and waited for James to finish his warm-up before today’s session. James went over to tell them that he was ready to compete, but did not get an answer from the trainer. The heart had stopped. Glance was rushed to hospital, but his life was never saved. – We were completely taken aback by this. It doesn’t make sense, says his wife, Tammi. LEGEND: Harvey Glance won both Olympic and World Cup gold during his career. Glance is said not to have had any heart problems in the past, nor had he complained of any other health problems in the time before his death. The wife is happy that it was on the athletics track that her husband passed away. – It completes the beautiful story of his life, she says. – A father figure to me, James is a very rare athletics talent. Already 18 years old, he sprinted to WC gold in the 400 metres. The following year he went to the top in the Olympics at the same distance. At 30 years old, he is now among the most experienced runners in the field. But the pace is still good. In Tokyo 2021 it was bronze, during the WC last year it was silver. 12 years after his first WC gold, James is still at the top. This time he still has to manage without one of his closest supporting players. – He was like a father figure to me, says James. Now he runs in honor of Glance, to whom he gives a big thank you for everything he has contributed to throughout a long career. In the 400 metres, James competes against Norwegian Håvard Bentdal Ingvaldsen, among others. They will play the semi-final against each other on Tuesday 22 August at 21.08.



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