July 31, 2008

University of North Carolina assistant track and field coach Anthony Parker has been named the head coach of the Haiti track and field squad for the Olympics that begin in less than two weeks in Beijing, China. Parker will lead four athletes to the Olympics, including his wife and current Director of Track Operations Nadine Faustin-Parker who is representing Haiti for the third consecutive Olympic Games. The Olympics are set to open on August 8 and will conclude on August 24.

"It's an exciting moment in my life to not only be the Head Olympic Coach of Haiti but to be able to share it with my wife and the other athletes," Parker said. "We have seven other Haitian athletes that I have worked with over the years and I'm happy to see their hard work pay off."

Faustin-Parker will be making her third Olympic appearance of her career after also representing Haiti in Sydney, Australia and Athens, Greece during the 2000 and 2004 games. She will compete in the 100-meter hurdles where she owns the third-fastest time in school history.

"I learned the true journey of becoming an Olympian, the ups, the downs, the ins, and outs by coaching and watching my wife. Despite whatever hurdles, low or high, were brought before her she attacked them to become a 3-Time Olympian. All the athletes have made huge sacrifices," Parker added. "Being able to participate in a rich tradition of Carolina, of always being represented in the Olympics, will be a memory I'll never forget."