Steve Erkkila

A bit about me ...

I started competitive athletics when I was 16 yrs old after running in my younger days for Western Suburbs. Near the end of my first season after winning Auckland Colt Sprint Titles I was introduced to Coach Russ Hoggard who took me into his training squad. From there I progressed well to become NZ Junior 400m Champ and NZ Junior 100m record holder. As a senior athlete I won my first NZ 100m title in 1973, then again in 1975 and 1977.

NZ National Champion
Steve Erkkila
Sprint Training
Chris (The Blues Rugby Team)

1974, 1976, 1978

Seasons of huge disappointment for my Athletic Career

Unfortunately serious ill health prevented me competing in 1974, 1976 and 1978 which were all Commonwealth and Olympic Games years of competition which was a real bummer!

1977 ...

World Sprinting 1977 - Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland. NZ 100m Champion and Record Holder (10.4s)

In 1977 I also won the NZ 200m title and set the NZ 100m record of 10.4. Unfortunately serious ill health prevented me competing in 1974, 1976 and 1978. All Commonwealth or Olympic Games years of competition, however I did represent NZ every year I competed and my highlight was making the World Cup team in 1977 to Germany and Coach Russ Hoggard was also part of the management team which was great to have your coach touring with you.

I was honoured in my shortened athletic career to have raced no fewer than 7 individual Olympic gold medalists over the 100, 200 and 400 metre distances.

I was also proud to be a member of the Auckland athletic junior relay teams that set NZ records in both the 100 and 400 metre relays, then as a senior athlete I was equally as thrilled to be member of both the 100 and 400 metre relay teams that constantly broke the NZ record for both events.

2012 -

1982 ...

1982 Otahuhu (Leopards) Premier rugby league team
Sprint and Running Mechanics coach. Introduced short sharp explosive speed work to the club rather than long forms of fast work they were doing in that era of the game
- Won the Roope Roster Chammpionship that year
- Team comprised of Hugh Mcgahan - 53 tests for NZ 17 as captain
- Owen Wright 16 tests for NZ and Joe Ropati 9 tests for NZ

1994 ...

In 1994 I was proud to win the Silver medal in the mens 40 to 44 age group for the 400 metres at the World Master Games. In 2000 I set up a training school for sprinting based at Mt Smart and over the next 4yrs helped many young athletes improve their running mechanics and over all speed. Many of these athletes went on to win Auckland or NZ titles and represent their country in their chosen events and are still competing at present.

2012 ...

NZ Vodafone Warriors speed and running mechanics coach. Trained the senior squad that included Simon Mannering, Shaun Jonhston, Manu Vatuvei (The Beast) and all the current senior players except for the Englishman Sam Tonkins.

NZ Vodafone Warriors Simon Mannering

NZ Vodafone Warriors Manu Vatuvei (The Beast)

NZ Vodafone Warriors Shaun Johnston

Other Coaching Achievements

Member of the athletics coaching association of NZ.
NZ Secondary Schools sprint and relay coach.
Auckland athletics sprint and relay coach.
Athletics North sprint and relay coach.
Director of Coaching for Mt Albert grammar sprint academy.
Sprint coach for Waitakere Athletics.
Sprint/Mechanics coach for North Harbour Hockey.
Vodafone Warriors sprint mechanics coach.
Speed mechanics coach for various teams at Northcote Rugby.
East Coast Bays Rugby and East Coast Bays Soccer.
Speed coach for North Harbour Gymnastics Club.
Pt Chev Athletics Club speed mechanics coach.
Bays Cougars Athletic club sprint/mechanics and relay coach
Millennium LTAD coach

International Track Series 1977

Hasely Crawford (Trinidad and Tobago)
Former track and field athlete.
In 1976, he became his country's first Olympic Champion and the first Olympic 100m champion from a Caribbean country.
A stadium was renamed in his honour in 2001. After finishing as the runner up at the 1975 Pan American Games in the 100 metres, Crawford was added to the team of American coach Bob Parks.

His new coach prepared him for the 100 metres and 200 metres events at the 1976 Summer Olympics with a strategy of only allowing him to run in a few races during the season. This tactic paid off, as Crawford, in the outside lane 1, narrowly won the 100 metres final in a time of 10.06 seconds, just 0.02 seconds in front of Don Quarrie of Jamaica, winning Trinidad and Tobago's first Olympic gold medal. He had also qualified for the 200 metres final, but was forced to pull out mid-race after injuring his groin.

After these Games, Crawford met with further success, winning the 100 metres event at the Central American and Caribbean Championships in 1977. On returning home, Hasely "Raj Paul" Crawford had both a jet and a stadium named after him. After all he won his country's first gold medal. During his reign as the 100 metre Olympic champion, he also appeared on postage stamps and was awarded Trinidad and Tobago's highest honour, Trinity Cross, in 1978.

This award was changed to the Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Crawford went on to compete in a total of four Olympic Games as he also represented T&T at both the Moscow and Los Angeles editions in 1980 and 1984, but was unable to qualify for another final.

Crawford's last international medals were a bronze and a silver which he won at the 1978 Commonwealth Games in the 100 metres and the 4x100 metres relay respectively. In 2000, he was named the Trinidad & Tobago Athlete of the Millennium. He is a member of the Caribbean Hall of Fame, along with Ato Boldon and Arthur Wint, one of only three track and field athletes to be inducted

Alan Wells (Scotland) former British track and field sprinter who became the 100 metres Olympic champion at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. Within a fortnight of that, he also took on and beat America's best sprinters at an invitational meeting in Koblenz.

In 1981, Wells was both the IAAF Golden Sprints and IAAF World Cup gold medallist. He is also a three-time European Cup gold medallist among many other sprint successes. He was a multiple medallist for his native Scotland at the Commonwealth Games, winning two golds at the 1978 Commonwealth Games and completing a 100 metres/200 metres sprint double at the 1982 Commonwealth Games. Wells also recorded the fastest British 100/200 times in 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983 and 100m in 1984.

Alan Wells

Don Quarrie (Jamaica) Former Jamaican track and field athlete, one of the world's top sprinters during the 1970s. At the 1976 Summer Olympics he was the gold medallist in the Olympic 200 meters and silver medallist in theOlympic 100 meters.

In all, he competed in five Olympic Games and won four Olympic medals during his career. He equalled the 200 meters world record in 1971 and equalled the 100 metres world record in 1976.

He has lifetime bests of 10.07 seconds and 19.86 seconds for the events. He won 100 metres/200 metres sprint doubles at the 1970 Commonwealth Games, 1971 Pan American Games, and 1974 Commonwealth Games. He was the first male to defend either the 100 m or 200m title at the Commonwealth Games and a 100 m win at the 1978 Commonwealth Games makes him the only person to have won that title three times.

He won nine gold medals in the sprints at the Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics from 1971 to 1981. He has received recognition both on and off the field. He was a five-time winner at the Jamaican Sportsperson of the Year and a statue of him is positioned at the entrance to Jamaica's National Stadium.

There is also a school (Donald Quarrie High School) that bears his name in Eastern Kingston. Reggae artists have paid respect to his achievements with songs including "Tribute to Donald Quarrie", one by Joe Gibbs and The Guerrillas and one by Bongo Herman

Steve Erkkila (New Zealand)
I started competitive athletics when I was 16 yrs old after running in my younger days for Western Suburbs. Near the end of my first season after winning Auckland Colt Sprint Titles I was introduced to Coach Russ Hoggard who took me into his training squad.

From there I progressed well to become NZ Junior 400m Champ and NZ Junior 100m record holder. As a senior athlete I won my first NZ 100m title in 1973, then again in 1975 and 1977.

1977 I won the NZ 200m title and set the NZ 100m record of 10.4s. Unfortunately serious ill health prevented me competing in 1974, 1976 and 1978 - all Commonwealth or Olympic Games years of competition, however I did represent NZ every year I competed and my highlight was making the World Cup team in 1977 Germany. My Coach Russ Hoggard was also part of the management team which was great to have my coach touring with me. I was also proud to be a member of the Auckland athletic junior relay teams that set NZ records in both the 100 and 400 metre relays, then as a senior athlete I was equally as thrilled to be member of both the 100 and 400 metre relay teams that constantly broke the NZ record for both events.

I was honoured in my shortened athletic career to have raced no fewer than 7 individual Olympic gold medalists over the 100m, 200m and 400m distances.

1982 - Otahuhu (Leopards) Premier rugby league team
Sprint and Running Mechanics coach. Introduced short sharp explosive speed work to the club rather than long forms of fast work they were doing in that era of the game
- Won the Roope Roster Chammpionship that year
- Team comprised of Hugh Mcgahan - 53 tests for NZ 17 as captain
- Owen Wright 16 tests for NZ and Joe Ropati 9 tests for NZ

2012 - NZ Vodafone Warriors speed and running mechanics coach. Trained the senior squad that included Simon Mannering, Shaun Jonhston, Manu Vatuvei (The Beast) and all the current senior players except for the Englishman Sam Tonkins.

Mt Smart at the International Track Series in 1977 From left Hasely Crawford (Trinidad & Tobago), Don Quarrie (Jamaica), Alan Wells (Scotland), Steve Erkkila (New Zealand)