Belwood resident and former sprint and hurdles coach Peter Manning is being inducted into the Athletics Canada Hall of Fame for his contributions to the growth and development of the sport and its athletes.
Manning will be inducted with three athletes and two builders at a ceremony in Ottawa on July 5.
Manning trained nine Olympians and 24 national athletes over his nearly 60-year career.
The 86-year-old started off as a runner from 1949 to 1954 in England.
Manning has witnessed many memorable moments, including watching Sir Roger Bannister run the first sub-four-minute mile on May 6, 1954 in Oxford. He had earned his coaching qualifications in England before immigrating to Canada in 1957.
He has lived in Montreal, Winnipeg, Guelph and has called Belwood home since 1974.
Manning was a board member for the Canadian Track and Field Association, now Athletics Canada, from 1969 to 1973. In 1973, the board hired professional coach Gerard Mach of Poland. Mach, who passed away in 2015, was also inducted into the hall of fame.
“He taught me a fabulous amount,” said Manning.
“He became head coach and he said to me ‘I’d like for you to come on as a sprint coach with me.’”
Manning coached at the Montreal Olympics in ’76, Los Angeles in ’84, Seoul, South Korea in ’88 and Barcelona, Spain in ’92. He prepared the relay team for the ’96 Olympics in Atlanta. Manning also coached three Commonwealth Games, two Pan-American Games and two world championships.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” he said.
Manning was working with athletes during the Ben Johnston doping scandal in 1988 and he took over head of the sprint program in ‘89.
“The whole sprint group was looked on with suspicion, it was a really tough time,” he said.
Manning said coaching was his hobby.
“I mean I’ve coached now for 57 years and I’ve never been paid a penny,” he said, adding his job allowed him to take time off to coach for the Olympics.
He said receiving the hall of fame recognition has been a “big honour” for him.
His favourite moment of his career was during the 1974 Commonwealth Games in New Zealand. He was coaching Yvonne Saunders, a Jamaican-Canadian athlete who was representing Canada at the time.
“The commentator was a friend of mine from Winnipeg and as Yvonne came off the bend, she was leading, he shouts, ‘Here comes Yvonne Saunders coached by Peter Manning in Guelph,’ right on CBC,” Manning explained.
“It gave me a big thrill.”
Manning said he is impressed with Andre Degrasse.
“Canada’s doing remarkably well right now in track and field.
“I wasn’t sure when I first watched(DeGrasse),” he said.
“But the last two or three races I’ve watched with him, very impressive, he’s got terrific top speed which not many people have.
“Ben had it, Donovan had it and Bolt’s got it, of course, but DeGrasse really showed top seed in the last couple of races he’s had.”
Manning is still coaching in Guelph, even though he officially retired in 2000.
“It’s not work though, it’s pleasure,” he said.
His technique for top athletes? Make them “work hard,” he said.
“Coaching is a great vehicle for developing people,” Manning added.
