World indoor champion Teddy Tamgho has decided to train under the tutelage of former long jump Olympic and world champion Ivan Pedroso with an eye on the 2011 European Athletics Indoor Championships to be held on his home turf in Paris.
2010 has been a year of fluctuating fortunes for the mercurial French triple jumper. He started the year with a world indoor record leap of 17.90m in Doha and successfully carried his form to the outdoor season bounding out to 17.98m, the third biggest jump ever, at the Diamond League meeting in New York. But ever since he has struggled with his consistency.
He finished a frustrating third at this summer’s European Athletics Championships in Barcelona.
The 21-year-old will resume his training with the Sydney Olympic champion and four times world champion early next month in Spain.
'I decided to resume training on 4 October with Pedroso in Alicante. We will take stock of things after the European Athletics Indoor Championships (4-6 March 2011),” Tamgho told the French press in Paris.
The 2008 world junior champion decided to discontinue the services of his coach Jean-Herve Stievenart in May and has been training on his own.
'Since the beginning of my career I have been fascinated by the Cuban system. Pedroso was Olympic champion, world champion. He coached Yargelis Savigne (double world champion in the triple jump). This will be a very, very good experience,” said Tamgho, who had five of the seven best jumps of the summer to his credit.
Tamgho is confident that Pedroso’s experience and knowledge will help him scale new frontiers in triple jump.
'He (Pedroso) has his own vision of the triple jump. He understands that my speed is my primary strength and I have to keep that speed. But we plan to work on my fitness and glide,' he said.
Tamgho stressed that the European indoors in Paris are at the forefront of his mind.
'Bercy (European indoors) is very important for me. It is an important step and I want to win. If I feel strong and better by then I will want to continue with Ivan,” said Tamgho.