Glance Returns from Leading Team USA at World Championships - ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE - University of Alabama Official Athletic Site

Glance Returns from Leading Team USA at World Championships

Glance with Decathlon World Champion Trey Hardee (USA)

Sept. 4, 2009

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Twenty-two years after winning a gold medal in the 4x100 meter relay at the 1987 World Championships, Alabama head track and field coach Harvey Glance returned to the event as men's head coach for the United States of America. The 2009 World Championships were held Aug. 15-23 in Berlin, Germany, at Olympic Stadium - site of the 1936 Olympics where Jesse Owens won his four gold medals.

Glance recalled his experiences as an athlete in Berlin Olympic Stadium where he has competed at least 12 times, and then returning as a head coach. Owens is one of Glance's main idols so it was an emotional return as he was able to consume all of the history of the stadium, including the place where Hitler stood when he turned his head during Owens' medal ceremony.

"It was better going back this time because when I went as an athlete, I was really focused on entertaining," Glance recalled. "This time I got to see the Olympic stadium from a different perspective. I got a chance to walk through the tunnel where Hitler went and cried when Jesse Owens was winning his four gold medals and I got to see where the torch was lit. I was really pleased to see that there was a street named after Jesse Owens around the stadium. It's kind of weird that Jesse Owens is more famous in Berlin than he is in America, but it's true. He really is. Everybody knows who Jesse is and the impact he made to the sport of track and field."

Though Glance was able to see some of the history of the stadium during his stay in Berlin, his days were long and busy as head coach. During the nine day meet, Glance's days began at 6:00 a.m. and did not end until around 1:00 a.m. the following morning.

"The days were very time consuming," Glance said. "We would have breakfast with the staff and talk about the next day's activities, so we were always planning a day ahead. It was typical that we'd be on the bus around 7:00 a.m., go to the track and stay there until about 1:00 p.m. We'd go back to the hotel for about an hour and a half and then go back over to the track for the evening session. Though the days were long, it was very rewarding because it doesn't feel like work when you're around a sport you love and those type-caliber athletes and you have the anticipation of great results each day."

Glance led the United States of America to three victories - the medal count, the gold medal count and the team scoring. USA gathered 22 total medals, besting Russia and Jamaica who were closest with just 13 medals each. USA won 10 gold medals with Jamaica, again, coming in second with a total of seven. In the team standings, USA dominated the field with 231 points. Russia and Jamaica were second and third with 154 and 136 points, respectively.

"Overall, I was real pleased how the team all together as a unit performed," Glance said. "We wanted to leave there with the most medals than any other country and we did that. We also led all countries with gold medals as well as the score. It was the best World Championship for us from top to bottom, meaning non-medal winners placing as high as they did and having so many American athletes in the finals. It was a very positive experience and certainly didn't hurt my chances of being the head coach for the 2012 Olympics in London which is the highest level a coach can attain in track and field. As a head coach, I didn't go there to get second, I really wanted to represent our country in a positive way. I think we did that."

Coach Glance has since shifted his attention to the Alabama cross country program which will get underway with the first meet on Saturday, September 5, 2009 at the Memphis Twilight Invitational in Memphis, Tenn.