Education is the key for five-time Olympian

Dubai: One of the main ingredients in five-time Olympian Jorge Bonnet's success as strength and conditioning coach is the value of formal education in the lives of the athletes he deals with.

"Knowledge is power," Bonnet, who last week offered his services to the UAE Olympic team, told Gulf News.

"When we train our athletes, we urge them to consistently challenge me and ask me why he is doing what he is doing, and I in turn explain it to him or her in a way that makes sense to him or her. These are the sort of athletes who will give you their heart while training as they are fully convinced. If you don't educate them then there is always going to be a struggle and there will not be 100 per cent commitment from either side," Bonnet added.

After performing at five Olympic Games — two with judoka (1984 and 1988) and three with Bobsleigh (1992, 1994 and 1998) — Bonnet went on to achieve his status as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist by the NSCA obtaining a degree in Biological Science from Sacred Heart University San Juan, Puerto Rico and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

"My call in life came a little bit late in life, but the idea was always to leave a legacy behind. And the legacy that I want to leave here is that I do not want to see so many young athletes getting injured. This was enough motivation for me to educate the strength and conditioning community that there is a much better way or the right way to achieve goals. And to follow this right way one needs to pursue knowledge," Bonnet said.