Five Minutes with Lance Brauman: Nine Questions with the Coach of PURE Athletic

Five minutes with Lance Braumann

Lance Brauman is one of the world’s finest sprint and long jump coaches. Working with adidas athletes and running an adidas club, PURE Athletics, Lance coaches the following athletes in 2024:

Women: Gina Luckenkemper, Junelle Bromfield.

Men: Noah Lyles, Kendall Williams, Jereem Williams, Wayde Van Niekerk, Noah Williams, Elija Godwin, Jaylan Slade, Nick Mayhugh, Mickael Zeze and Udodi Omuzurike.

Note that Rebecca Hause trained for two and a half months with PURE Athletic but is not an official member of the group.

For transparency, I have to say I truly enjoy my short interactions with Lance, which always come after the race and he is heading off to a workout.

Today, Lance met with Noah Lyles to determine his status for the 200 meters. By that, I mean that Lance watches everything, and he does not like surprises, like non-discussed soreness or injuries.

Here are my Nine questions with Lance Brauman. This happened in Eugene, Oregon, on Tuesday, June 25, 2024.  

Nine Questions with Lance Brauman:

1. Lance, congratulations on Noah Lyles’ victory at the 100 meters. What is the big thought that comes from that performance?

Lance Brauman: “That he won.”

2. What is the difference in his racing now, as opposed to 3 years ago?

Lance Brauman: “ Noah has confidence in his training, and that translates into racing.”

3. Any other thoughts on the Men’s 100 meters?

Lance Brauman: “ Fred (Kerley) really stepped up, and
Kenny (Bednarek) did a hell of a job. I feel sorry for Christian.”

4. Your thoughts on Christian Coleman?

Lance Brauman: “I feel sorry for Christian. He’s one hell of an athlete. He got into a situation where he had some tough competitors, but that does not take away from the fact that he is one hell of an athlete (Coleman was in the top three in 100m from 2017-2023, plus 2019 World Champ and twice World Indoor Champ).

5. How do you feel about Noah wanting to run the 4x100m and 4x400m relays?

Lance Brauman: “My job is to have him ready for his individual events. The decisions on relays, both 4x100m and 4x400m, should be made by USA Track & Field, not any athlete or coach.”

6. Would Noah be ready to race the 400 meters in the relay?

Lance Brauman: “Our training prepares the athletes for rounds.”

7. What is your focus in training?

Lance Brauman: “I train my athletes for the 100 meters and 200 meters.”

8. How did Noah feel after…