Former Oregon track coach Vin Lananna named USA Track & Field President

Former Oregon track & field head coach Vin Lananna was named the new president of USA Track & Field on Thursday afternoon.

Lananna was competing with three-time Olympic gold medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee for the position. On Thursday, Joyner-Kersee announced she was withdrawing her name, making Lananna president.

Lananna arrived in Eugene in 2005 to take over the head coaching job for the Oregon track & field program. In addition to his success with the Ducks, Lananna was also a key figure in Eugene landing the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympic Trials at Hayward Field. He also helped Eugene host the 2014 World Junior Track & Field Championships and played a vital role in bringing the 2021 World Outdoor Championships, the biggest track meet in the world outside of the Olympics, to the city known as TrackTown USA.

During his campaign, Lananna laid out a detailed, four-page platform. When you headed to Joyner Kersee’s page, you're greeted by a picture of her smiling with all her medals, and more general points of how she would act as president.

The position as president of USATF is on a volunteer basis, and there really aren't too many strict guidelines on what the president does. That being said, I can say pretty confidently that Lananna will take this role very seriously and will likely be very hands on.