BEIJING — Randy Huntington’s laugh boomed through the hallways of the Bird’s Nest stadium after the long jump competition, making him something of a rarity at the world track and field championships on Tuesday: an American with something to celebrate.
Huntington, who hails from Walled Lake, Mich., coached Mike Powell when Powell jumped 8.95 meters (29 feet 4 1/4 inches) in Tokyo in 1991 — setting a world record that has now endured a year longer than the ethereal Bob Beamon mark it broke.
Huntington has worked with many fellow Americans through the years, but he is now coaching Chinese athletes.