The world's fastest man is a college kid from Texas. His coach? An elite runner from IVC

PEORIA — Zach Glavash is coaching the fastest man in the world.

Glavash — a graduate of Illinois Valley Central and now a former Illinois and Texas Tech elite runner — is an assistant coach at Texas Tech, where he is helping emerging superstar Terrence Jones stay on track for what could be a starring role in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Jones, 20, ran the 100 in 9.91 seconds on April 15 at Percy Beard Track in the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational in Gainesville, Fla., and everything changed.

Predicting the champs: Here are 10 boys from Peoria with the best shot at an IHSA track and field state title

With that run, he is the current fastest man in the world — with the fastest outdoor 100-meter time in 2023.

"In the track world, it's like a bomb went off," Glavash said. "People were shocked, but I actually thought he was going to do it. It was no surprise to me.

"It's the beginning, now people are watching him."

Glavash was an elite 800-meter runner himself, ranking among the top 100 in the country coming out of high school. He has built a reputation in coaching circles for recruiting and developing talent. He's always been fascinated by the short sprints.

Jones came to Texas Tech as a 400 runner, and a 6-foot-4 athletic marvel from the Bahamas has proved an exciting challenge for the coach.

"He has all the talent in the world," Glavash said. "Some of the things he did, I thought he might be a 100-meter runner. His first race in the 60 in college he runs the collegiate record."

Jones ran that 60 in 6.45 indoors, the fastest time in NCAA history.

"I thought," Glavash said, "'Oh my god.'

"He just came along at the right time," Glavash said. "He ran the World Championships at age 16. He tied the (60) record in his sophomore year last year. Then he had some injuries, his body wasn't ready to run those kind of times. Didn't race all of the indoor season. We waited and put him back out there, and he lights the world on fire."

Alligator gar and landing a prize

Glavash, 39, was a 2022 inductee to the Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame. He got there with his magnificent running resume. But his second love is fishing, and he has a story to tell.

"I miss the fishing in Illinois," he said, laughing. "Back in the day everyone would go out and socialize all night, but I'd go fishing for catfish, just loved it. Favorite spot was in Victoria (a tiny village in Knox County).

"There was a collection of about 25 houses there and we'd go fish. I'd be out there at 1 a.m., build a fire, catch a catfish and put it on a shovel and cook it for everyone when they came in from their night out."

And things really are bigger in Texas, where Glavash caught a 7-foot, 165-pound alligator gar a couple of years ago.

"Took 30 minutes to get it in," he said. "We put the head of it in a bucket with some maggots to strip it down to the bone and we still have the skeleton."

A great catch on the track

Jones, meanwhile, is an Olympic-caliber catch for Texas Tech, and he's growing rapidly under Glavash's tutelage.

"It's fun to coach the great ones," Glavash said. "The sky is the limit for him. He's a humble guy, a God-fearing kid, great teammate. It's nice when the great talents are great people, too.

"He would say Olympics are on God's time. He's been very patient."

'Best-kept secret in central Illinois': Inside IVC's $6.7 million multi-sport turf upgrade

For Glavash, his love for the sport and for coaching began at IVC, under head coach Mike Themas.

"I was blessed in high school with coach Themas," Glavash said. "He made track fun. We enjoyed doing it and came out every day loving it. I'm lucky to have a great head coach at Texas Tech in Wes Kittley who lets me do this and is always there as a sounding board.

"Your mind has to be a little bit different in this business."

A guiding hand

Glavash was named Mountain Region Assistant Coach of the Year in March as his own story continues to grow.

And he knows Jones could be the next great story on the world track stage. That 9.91 time in the 100 ranks 50th in history on an all-time list littered with Olympic medalists.

But he's not just coaching the runner. He's coaching the person.

"He has lofty goals," Glavash said. "I just want him to grow in maturity. He's figured out the day-to-day. I want him to win championships. That's the goal. The rest of it will handle itself.

"Coaching is just making sure you put kids in a situation to succeed. Teach them to manage stress and their life. It's a balancing act."

Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men's basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @icetimecleve.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: IVC grad Zach Glavash coaches world's fastest man at Texas Tech