Luiz de Oliveira
World Athletics is deeply saddened to learn that respected Brazilian middle-distance coach Luiz de Oliveira died in Doha on 30 June at the age of 73.
He had been coaching in Qatar when, in November 2020, his deteriorating health required heart surgery and the removal of one kidney. He was subsequently on haemodialysis, awaiting a possible transplant, when he succumbed to his failing heart and kidney.
He was recognised from the earliest days of a coaching career that spanned five decades as one of the world's leading experts in the middle-distance events. It was said that he was a ‘coaches coach’ and ‘a coach without borders’ as he became one of the pioneers of coaching athletes from a multitude of nations.
De Oliveira was born in February 1950 in São Paulo. He was a fine football player in his youth, but on leaving high school he had to decide between soccer and studies. He wisely chose studies in the teaching of basketball, soccer and track & field at the University of San Carlos, where he excelled in courses on scientific training methods.
Leaving San Carlos in the early 1970s, de Oliveira started coaching children in soccer, basketball and athletics. In the basketball group he couldn’t help but notice a tall, skinny 12-year-old boy who could move with speed and ease in all the running activities they did. The shy young boy was reluctant to switch from basketball to running, but De Oliveira was persistent and after enjoying immediate success at 800m and 1500m, the young Joaquim Cruz was persuaded.
He was clearly a prodigy and after setting a world U20 record of 1:44.3 in 1981, Cruz received a scholarship offer to study and compete for Brigham Young University in Utah, USA. Running had now become the 'passport' for both de Oliveira and Cruz to learn English and to study and compete in the United States. Their stay in Utah was short-lived and they instead headed to the University of Orego. By now, de Oliveira and Cruz had formed a remarkable symbiosis that was to remain throughout their lives.
Cruz went on to win the 1983 NCAA title, then earned bronze at the World Championships later that year, before taking gold at the 1984 Olympic Games and silver in 1988. When he retired from competition in 1996, Cruz had run 800m in under 1:43 on six occasions and once under 1:42.
One of De Oliveira's enduring legacies is his creation of the 'Oregon Circuit' that is widely used today as a demanding and productive conditioning activity for runners. His original 'Oregon Circuit' consisted of his squad undertaking nine exercises, interspersed by 100m sprinting to the next 'station', rest at the end of the 1000m loop, and repeat.
During this time, numerous other athletes from Brazil joined De Oliveira's training group, including José Luiz Barbosa, who was to become a four-time World Championships 800m medallist, and 1980 Olympic finalist Agberto Guimarães. These were added to with US and Canadian athletes such as Mary (Decker) Slaney, Ocky Clark, Claudette Groenendaal and Ranza Clark.
In 1989, de Oliveira moved his training group from Eugene to San Diego, where he successfully coached through the 1990s, and then had another squad move to Tucson, Arizona. An opportunity to coach in Qatar in the 2000s meant that he had direct impact in Asia, producing 400m and 800m champions. Shortly after the 2016 Olympic Games were awarded to Rio, De Oliveira was appointed as national endurance coach.
“Luiz de Oliveira's innovative training techniques have made an indelible mark on the sport of track and field,” said Cruz and Barbosa, who recently organised fund raising for De Oliveira's medical bills. “Luiz treated his athletes like family and helped us reached goals we never could have imagined would be possible. We both qualified for and represented Brazil in the 1984, 1988, 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games. We owe our athletic careers to Luiz de Oliveira.”
Peter Thompson for World Athletics