Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
Tom McNab, born in Glasgow in December 1933 and died aged 92, was a former British national coach and athlete who won five Scottish triple jump titles.
After success as an athlete, McNab made substantial contributions to British athletics through coaching and development. He helped reshape the domestic athletics structure and helped establish the British Athletics League in the late 1960s after a fact-finding visit to Poland.
He created programs to nurture young athletes, including a national junior decathlon program, and played a role in guiding Daley Thompson during his early combined events career. McNab also served as a British Olympic team coach at the 1972 Munich and 1976 Montreal Games.
In 2005, McNab began working with long jumper Greg Rutherford, who became European U20 champion that year and later won Olympic gold in 2012. McNab’s expertise in athletics history led to his appointment as Olympic historian for the International Olympic Committee from 1976.
McNab was technical director and athletics consultant for the film Chariots of Fire, advising on the sport’s portrayal and training the actors. The film won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
As an author, McNab published coaching manuals such as Modern Schools Athletics, Triple Jump and Decathlon, and The Complete Book of Track & Field. He also wrote novels inspired by sport, including Flanagan’s Run, which became an international bestseller translated into 16 languages.
Beyond athletics, McNab worked as a fitness adviser for England’s rugby union team during its 1991 Rugby World Cup final run, served as performance director for British bobsleigh, advised Chelsea Football Club, and contributed to reviewing amateur boxing.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe described McNab as "one of the sport’s most loyal friends and a man of many talents – a world-class coach, a great writer, historian, and conscience for athletics."