Which South African coach has since 2016 got athletes to medal at the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, World Championships and the Commonwealth Games?

There is a real chance that very few sports fans will know the answer to this question. It does not faze Neil Cornelius. He is not coaching to be famous; he coaches because he gets a kick when athletes fulfil their goals.

It is why he spends hours on end next to a sand pit, trying to figure out what it will take for long and triple jumpers to “fly through the air” for those precious few seconds longer. If they do, it means they will perform on the world stage.

The Tuks coach is seemingly doing something right. Results don’t lie. In 2016 Luvo Manyonga won silver in the long jump during the Rio Olympic Games. The following year Manong won gold at the World Championships in London. During the 2021 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, Ntando Mahlangu won gold in the long jump.

Then, in August this year, Jovan van Vuuren won bronze at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

Cornelius is a full-time coach but does not see his work as work. To him, it is a calling. He lives for that moment when one of his athletes achieves the goal they set themselves.

“It is hard to describe the feelings I had experienced when Jovan (Van Vuuren) won bronze during the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. When I saw the joy and emotion on his face, I realised again why I was coaching. It is to make a difference. You can’t put a monetary value to any such moment,” Cornelius explained.

According to Cornelius, athletics is in his blood.

“I grew up next to the athletics track when my dad was coaching. My uncle Steve was quite competitive when he competed as a junior in discus and hammer throw events. Unfortunately, my athletics career was curtailed by an ankle ligament injury early on,” he said.

He still wanted to be involved in athletics, so he started to coach. Within a year, one of his young athletes jumped further than he did as a senior.

“This made me realise that I might have a coaching talent,” Cornelius remarked.

As said, Cornelius is on a constant quest to find ways to help the athletes he coaches improve. To win medals.

“I have found that you can learn a lot by listening and interacting with other coaches. I am never shy to ask others for help. Recently I had interesting conversations with Paul Gorries (sprint coach at Tuks) about what I can do to improve my jumpers’ speed in their run-ups,” he commented.

During the Commonwealth Games, he met Khotso Mokoena (a former SA long jump record-holder). Mokoena told Cornelius what he did when he was at his best and it made Cornelius think. He also corresponds with some international coaches.

He also thinks it helps to listen to your athletes.

“They have come up with some exciting ideas, which have led to better results. I think the most important thing any coach should realise is that you will never know everything,” he said.

It is often said that behind any men’s success story is a woman who inspires. For Cornelius, it is his wife, Willa.

“In any job, you are bound to have bad days. Times when it feels like everything you do bombs out. That is when my wife steps up and encourages me not to give up. She is my pillar of strength, and I am forever grateful for that,” he concluded.

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