NEWPORT’S Christian Malcolm is heading Down Under after being appointed head of performance and coaching by Athletics Australia.

The four-time Olympian will help lead Australian athletics into the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and beyond, working closely with newly appointed head of high-performance systems, Andrew Faichney, and head coach Craig Hilliard.

Malcolm, a 200m specialist, hung up his spikes in 2014 having won a European silver medal for Great Britain in 2010 and silver and bronze for Wales at the Commonwealth Games in 1998 and 2010 respectively.

Named IAAF World Junior Athlete of the Year in 1998, he also helped Team GB win bronze in the 4x100m relay in both the 2005 and 2007 World Championships.

Since retiring the 39-year-old has built up a reputation as a successful coach, overseeing the successful British relay squads, as well as working with the UK Paralympic team and Disability Wales.

In 2017 he coached the Team GB men to gold at the World Championships in London, setting British and European records in the process, while the women won silver.

And at the IPC Paralympic World Championships, he coached Jordan Howe to silver and Rhys Jones to a personal best in finishing in fourth place.

That success saw him named high-performance coach of the year at the UK Coaching Awards and coach of the year at the Wales Sport Awards.

Malcolm will be relocating to Melbourne with his family in late January.

“Australian athletes have a very strong record at the Olympics and Commonwealth Games but we can achieve even more success by giving our coaches the support, advice and resources they need to do their job well,” he said.

“I was on the Gold Coast for the Commonwealth Games with the Wales Team and I saw the deep talent pool that exists in this country.

“Coaching is always the key factor in ensuring this sort of talent reaches its full potential.

“I’ll be working first and foremost with Australian coaches to ensure they are nurturing their athletes and creating the best possible training environment.”

The CEO of Athletics Australia, Darren Gocher, said: “Coaching must be at the centre of everything we do. Christian is a great addition to Australian athletics – he has had a very successful career as an athlete and international coach and will be extremely collaborative in his approach.

“He has great attributes and his calibre will ensure the future of Australian athletics is strong, and furthermore that our performance leading into the World Championships in Doha next year and into the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in 2020 is of the highest quality it can be.”