USA Cycling is proud to welcome aboard three new members to the Sports Performance staff: Craig Griffin as the Senior Director of Track, Tanner Putt as the Director of Road, and German Medina as the BMX Racing National Team Coach.
The Sport Performance team is growing as it approaches the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, with an increasingly ambitious medal goal for the next Olympic cycle, Los Angeles 2028.
“With the addition of Griffin, Putt, and Medina, the organization is in a great position as we quickly approach the Paris 2024 Olympic Games,” said Jim Miller, Chief of Sport Performance. “We are looking forward to growing our development programs as we look ahead to our home Olympic Games, as well as investing in the current talent pool to be ready to win medals at the upcoming UCI Cycling Worlds in Glasgow and the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.”
Griffin returned to USA Cycling in January 2023 as the Senior Track Director. He brings 33 years of elite coaching experience leading Track Endurance programs for USA Cycling, U.S. Paralympics, Canada, Japan National and Olympic Teams. He brings a wealth of knowledge and achievements as an 8-time Olympic coach with numerous podium successes. In 1994, Griffin coached the U.S. Men’s Pursuit Team to a historic first ever World Championship medal. He led the U.S. Paralympic Team to win the cycling nations medal count at the London 2012 Paralympic Games and was awarded Team USA’s highest coaching recognition award, the Order of Ikkos, as well as coaching athletes to Olympic medals for Canada (Rio 2016) and Japan (Tokyo 2020). Prior to his first national coaching job with USA Cycling in 1990, Griffin competed for Team New Zealand on both the road and track teams.
Griffin will lead the current team of Erin Hartwell, Track Sprint Director, Gary Sutton, Women’s Endurance Track Coach, and Robert Stanley, Men’s Endurance Track Coach, to improve upon the international successes of USA Cycling’s track program.
Putt comes to USA Cycling after eight years as a professional road cyclist, five years of which were on the USA Cycling National Team. After racing, he went on to pursue directing domestic elite teams. In 2022, Tanner worked as the USA Cycling U23 National Team Director at Tour de l'Avenir and the Road World Championships in Wollongong. He became the full-time Director of Road in January 2023.
With his 15 years of combined competitive and coaching experience, passion for athlete development, and extensive knowledge of top-level racing, Putt will support USA Cycling with growing the competitive opportunities for the next generation of riders and creating a deeper pool of talent in the U.S.
In his few weeks with USA Cycling, he brought on a team of individuals that with help run on-the-ground operations of the development programs. Kristen Arnold is directing the Women’s Road program, Gavin Mannion is working with the Junior Men, while Michael Creed will focus on the U23 Men’s development.
Medina recently joined the organization to run the USA Cycling BMX Racing National Team program. Medina has raced BMX since 1983, and was a pioneer in bringing science based training to the early years of BMX Racing in Colombia.
Medina worked for the Colombian Olympic Committee from 2007-2022 coaching the BMX Racing team since the sports Olympic debut in 2008. Over the past four Olympic Games, the Colombian BMX Team has raced to six Olympic medals under his guidance, including two gold medals won by Mariana Pajon.
Medina will relocate from his home in Bogota, Colombia to Tulsa, Oklahoma where he will help the U.S. achieve international success and to grow the next generation of BMX racers. He will work alongside the current staff of BMX Development Coach, Arielle Martin-Verhaaran, and Senior Director of BMX Racing and Freestyle, Jamie Staff.
