A former Morrin School student–turned Olympic athlete will be heading back to the Olympics, this time as a coach of the Russian Olympic team.
Many in the area remember Florian Linder. The amateur Alberta track star went on to begin a career in bobsledding with the Canadian team in 2002. He was a competitior on the World Cup Circuit for many years and was a member of the Canadian team that went to the 2006 Olympics in Turin.
After retiring from the sport, he served the program as a coach and was part of the team that trained athletes for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.
Following the Vancouver Olympics, Linder retired from coaching but stayed involved in the sport.
“I hadn’t been coaching, and then in June of last year (2012) I received a call offering to be a coach with the Russian team,” Linder told The Mail, while he was in Calgary for the World Cup Season kick off event.
He said it was a tough decision now as a family man, factoring in the travel, but it was an offer he could not refuse.
Linder is the technical starts coach and performance analyst. He is one of three foreign coaches working for the Russian bobsled team leading up to the Olympics.
He said while there is a difference in the culture of the team when comparing it to the Canadian Team, in both cases the athletes are dedicated to success and bring their best to their sports.
Linder adds he has brought some new things to the team in regards to his knowledge and abilities, while at the same time, he has been learning as well.
"At this level, all the teams have the knowledge, I just may bring a different way of sharing it,” he said.
During the off-season he is able to be back in Calgary, where he makes his home, save for some training camps. During the season however, he is on the road,
After the Calgary event, the World Cup circuit continues to events in the United States before heading overseas.
He says the Russian bobsled team is strong going into this season and is hoping for a successful campaign leading up to Sochi.
