Israel Olatunde, an acclaimed Dublin sprinter, is set to embark on a new chapter in his career by moving to the United States. The 22-year-old athlete is joining the exclusive training team of Olympic 100m champion, Noah Lyles, located in Clermont, Florida, under the leadership of Coach Lance Brauman.
Brauman’s team, which is associated with the Adidas brand, initiated its operations in 2007 at the National Training Centre in Clermont. This comes as perfect synergy for Olatunde who himself is sponsored by Adidas. He will commence his tenure in the US team next month, initially set to last a year.
The decision to accept this new career opportunity followed weeks of deliberations between Olatunde, his Dublin mentor Daniel Kilgallon, and Brauman. Their initial connection was made earlier this year during a three-week warm-weather camp in Clermont that Kilgallon and Olatunde were part of alongside five other sprinters.
Originally from Dundalk, Olatunde has continually excelled in the sprinting realm under the guidance of Kilgallon, building upon the foundations instilled by his initial coach, Gerry McArdle, at Dún Dealgan AC. A testament to his evolution as a seasoned athlete came last Sunday when he set a new Irish record in the 100m category, clocking in at 10.12 seconds which was a noticeable improvement by .05 seconds as compared to his previous record set two years prior.
Meanwhile, Florida-born Lyles, aged 27, has been running professionally aligned with Adidas since 2016 and has amassed three World Champion titles. Most recently, he made a triumphant comeback in the Paris Olympics setting a new personal record, all while fighting off a Covid-19 infection post his 100m race win. He was the first American in 20 years to secure the title of the 100m Olympic champion, to further enhance his already impressive record.
Olatunde shattered his own Irish record, previously 10.17 seconds, when he came sixth in the 2022 European Championships final in Munich, thereby overtaking Paul Hession’s record of 10.18 seconds set in 2007. After a challenging 2023, Olatunde progressively returned to his peak form and clinched the national title in June with a 10.27s finish, marking his fourth consecutive victory in the senior 100 metre race. He also triumphed in three successive 60 metre indoor races.
Brauman’s training team has a history of exceptional athletes, including Shaunae Miller-Uibo from the Bahamas, the two-time Olympic 400 metre champion, and Wayde van Niekerk from South Africa, the world 400 metre record holder, who joined earlier in the year. Olatunde isn’t the first Irish sprinter welcomed into Brauman’s team as Jason Smyth, six-time paralympic gold medallist, also trained with the group for a sustained period from 2009.