A level 4 athletics coach, John has coached numerous athletes to Scottish and GB representative level and has been involved in Gillian’s programme for eight years. Initially advising on running and plyometric training, he guided Gillian through several event changes, taking full control of her programme after her switch to long jump in 2004. Inspired by his father, who once ran against Eric Liddell over 100m, John began athletics at age 19. Competing for Scotland and Great Britain in the long jump, he ended his own career with a best of 7m51, before making the move to coaching.

He was Scottish Athletics Coach of the Year in 2000, having coached Darren Ritchie to indoor and outdoor Scottish records in the long jump and in 2007 he won Scottish Athletics Performance Coach of the Year, after a season where his athletes set eight Scottish records across the senior and junior age groups.

John has also worked within rugby as a consultant on sprinting mechanics to the Edinburgh Gunners development team.