Remi Korchemny

Remi Korchemny

Personal information
Native name	Реми Корчемный
Nationality	Ukrainian
Citizenship	United States
Born	(1932-06-23) 23 June 1932 (age 92) Ukraine
Education	PhD in exercise physiology[1][2]
Occupation	Personal trainer
Website	speedwithremi.com
Sport
Sport	Sprint (coach)
Retired	12 March 2007
Achievements and titles
Personal best	100 m sprint: 10.4

Remi Korchemny (Russian: Реми Корчемный; born 23 June 1932^[citation needed]) is the former sprint coach of a number of high-profile athletes, including Soviet Olympic champion Valeri Borzov and M40 record holder Ray Kimble. He is serving a lifetime ban from the sport for his involvement in providing performance-enhancing drugs.

After the 1972 Olympics, Korchemny moved to America and settled in New York. Start working in the beginning as a teacher and as a coach in track and field, he soon got excellent results with his athletes. He gave clinics to coaches in football and track and field sharing his knowledge how to develop speed. In 1983 he was invited to work for Stanford University in California, which he took advantage of and relocated. During that time he also worked with the San Francisco 49ers. After a little while, Remi was hired by the U.S. Army, to work on an Olympic development program.

Remi has trained and in some cases is still coaching a whole stable of past and current famous athletes, including Nonito Donaire Jr., Andre Ward, and Karim Mayfield

In the past he worked as a coach or advisor for a number of high-profile athletes, including British sprinter Dwain Chambers, and American athletes Kelli White, Chryste Gaines, Chris Phillips, Alvin Harrison, John Register and Jamaican athlete Grace Jackson.

Life in the Soviet Union

Korchemny was born on 23 June 1932^[citation needed] in Ukraine. In 1937, when he was five years old, his father was executed by firing squad on charges of sabotage amid a labor dispute while his mother was sent to a forced labor camp for four years,[3][4] leaving Korchemny to live with his grandparents.[4] As an impoverished youth, he would race the boys at his school for food.[4]

Drafted into the Red Army as an engineer, he was introduced to athletics, eventually becoming a coach in 1957.[3] During the 1972 Munich Olympics, his sprinter Valeriy Borzov won the Olympic gold medals in the 100m and 200m.[3][4] In 1975, after years of lobbying to leave the Soviet Union, Korchemny was allowed to move to the United States following brief stays in Israel and Italy.

BALCO scandal

Korchemny was one of the figures in the 2003 BALCO scandal.[3][4] He was indicted on 12 February 2004,[5] and on 29 July 2005,[6] he pleaded guilty in US District Court to distributing illegal performance-enhancing drugs to athletes between 2000 and 2003.[7] Korchemny was sentenced to one year of probation on 24 February 2006,[8] avoiding potential years of jail time.[3] In the aftermath of the scandal, Korchemny agreed to retire on 12 March 2007.[9] He was the first coach disciplined by the United States Anti-Doping Agency.[10][11] Korchemny is serving a lifetime ban from USA Track & Field for conspiracy and cover-up.[12]

Post-scandal

In 2013, BALCO founder Victor Conte enlisted Korchemny to train the boxers he worked with such as Amir Khan, Nonito Donaire Jr., Andre Ward, and Karim Mayfield.[13] In 2019, he coached professional boxer Mikey Garcia, who was contending for the IBF welterweight championship title against Errol Spence Jr.[14]

References

1. Shaposhnikov, Vitali (14 May 2011). "Remy Korchemny: An Exclusive Interview with a Speed Guru". Bleacher Report (interview). Archived from the original on 9 May 2012. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
2. Chu, Don; Korchemny, Remi (December 1989). "Sprinting stride actions: Analysis and evaluation". NSCA Journal. 11 (6): 6–9. ISSN 1073-2721.
3. Mackay, Duncan (13 February 2004). "Kindly coach accused of drug pushing". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 12 September 2014. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
4. Crumpacker, John (4 November 2003). "Profile / Remi Korchemny / Caught in a tempest". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
5. Hirsley, Michael (13 February 2004). "4 indicted in steroid scheme". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 17 February 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
6. "BALCO Fast Facts". CNN. 31 October 2013. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
7. Bennert, Jason (24 February 2006). "Korchemny avoids jail time for role in Balco case". Fog City Journal. Bay City News. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020.
8. Fainaru-Wada, Mark (24 February 2006). "Track coach gets probation in BALCO scandal". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 5 December 2020.
9. "Track coach reaches deal with USADA to end career". The Denver Post. Associated Press. 12 March 2007. Archived from the original on 17 February 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
10. "Controversial Korchemny retires". BBC Sport. 12 March 2007. Archived from the original on 18 March 2019.
11. Cherry, Gene (12 March 2007). "BALCO coach Korchemny disciplined by USADA". Reuters. Archived from the original on 17 February 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
12. "Doping Suspensions". USA Track & Field. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
13. Almond, Elliott (2 September 2013). "BALCO's Victor Conte now realizes the errors of his past". The Mercury News. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
14. Kim, Steve (10 March 2019). "How Mikey Garcia overhauled his training for the fight nobody thought he should take". ESPN. Archived from the original on 12 August 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2021.

External links

• Mary Nicole Nazzaro: Beijing Olympic Journal: Remi Korchemny Revisited American Track & Field, March/April 2006
• Mary Nicole Nazzaro: Remi Korchemny: The Art of Coaching American Track & Field, Winter 2002
• Remi Korchemny's scientific contributions at ResearchGate