Mehdi Kordi
Despite never competing in a bike race, Mehdi Kordi has led his athletes to multiple Olympic and World Championships as a cycling coach, often with a fraction of the budget and resources compared to his competitors.
Starting with British Cycling, he attained his PhD which examined how to optimise training and performance. Subsequently, he became a sport scientist and then a coach where he led British Paralympic track cyclists to World Championship and Commonwealth Games victories, including breaking four world records in the process.
Later as coach of the amateur track cycling Team KGF/Huub-Wattbike, he oversaw two World Cup victories, beating many professional, national federations and implementing innovative, revolutionary race strategies to get winning results.
Subsequently, as head coach of the Dutch track cycling team, he guided them to unprecedented success, including six world records, 15 world championships, six Olympic champions and medallists, ultimately leading the team to topping the medals table for the first time at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024.