Why not Illinois?
That's the mindset Petros Kyprianou has taken this year. With proven success and an impressive track record, Kyprianou is building the Illinois track and field and cross country programs into some of the most stacked and talented groups in the nation.Â
A three-time USTFCCCA National Coach of the Year and two-time NCAA Championship-winning coach, Kyprianou enters his second year at Illinois and has already brought in some of the top student-athletes in the world.Â
With athletes from as near as Urbana and as far away as Europe and Africa, the Illini men's and women's track and field teams are primed for success both in the short run and long run with Kyprianou at the helm.
"I have some connections from throughout my career in certain countries, mainly the Baltic countries, southern Europe, and Africa. Those coaches trust me, and they've seen the benefits of investing in those athletes, bringing them into the system, and blossoming to become Olympians," Kyprianou said. "The world is our oyster now. There's a lot of grinding involved. There's a lot of hard work that goes into this. It's a process. It takes years to build this pipeline.Â
"We identified those prospects, we went out and got them, and we got them early when they were at a very high level. We saw the talent. We liked their characters and their academics. There's one common denominator among all the athletes we invite here: They all want to be champions, and they all want to go to the Olympics. That's what I like. I feel it's a privilege to be at Illinois. It's a huge opportunity, and that goes both ways."
Kyprianou has made it an emphasis to recruit international athletes, and he hopes to eventually get every continent represented within his program. A native of Cyprus, he has created lasting and impactful relationships with coaches around the world, which has allowed him to bring in some of the top prospects on the planet.
Three of these athletes – Sophia Beckmon, Viktor Morozov, and Elizabeth Ndudi – have already had the opportunity to represent their respective countries at the international level and all emerged victorious. While they each have proven success, they also embody the qualities Kyprianou looks for and fit the vision he has for every athlete who steps foot on campus.
"I strongly believe in my product, and I strongly believe in my brand at Illinois. We have everything we need to do great," Kyprianou said. "People want to come here because they see a proven model that works in getting athletes like themselves to the Olympics. They don't really care too much about the shine and the glitter. They get good facilities. Above all, they get really good coaching, and they know they're gonna go to the Olympics. We'll get to that point where everybody wants to come here."
Beckmon, Morozov, and Ndudi have taken completely different paths over the course of their competitive careers, but those roads all led to Illinois. Here are each of their stories
Beckmon earned the opportunity to represent the United States at the NACAC U23 Championships, which featured athletes from North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. The Oregon City, Oregon, native had already won the long jump at the Nike Outdoor Nationals earlier that summer, but she was eager to prove herself against some of the top athletes in the Western Hemisphere.
Full of confidence and drive, Beckmon ultimately stood atop the podium with a gold medal around her neck once again after securing a distance of 6.69 meters.
"I always knew what I was capable of, but seeing it happen and going through the whole experience, it made me realize I need more," Beckmon said. "Now I know for sure what my expectations are. It definitely raises my expectations to be better and to do better when it comes to those high stakes. That was my second time on a big stage like that. It really just raised my expectations, but it's a big relief that I was right about what I was feeling."
Entering her freshman season with the Fighting Illini, Beckmon has already set her sights on a Big Ten title and ultimately qualifying for a place at the 2024 Olympics in Paris this summer.
Beckmon knows Kyprianou and Illinois will help her reach her goals. Though she can be hard on herself, Beckmon knows she has what it takes to achieve her dreams with the help of the resources and coaching staff in Champaign.
"I know that I need a coach who can handle me, and that's what Petros can do," Beckmon said. "I knew coming in, I already knew who he was and what he was capable of doing. I just wanted him to turn me into what I want to be.
"Being around people who are just as competitive as you are will obviously put you in a better place, too. The amount of expectations that I have coming in here and that are put on me, and knowing how hard I am when it comes to working, it makes it feel like it's gonna happen. Knowing that there's a big chance that it could happen is what really pushes me to get me to where I want to be."
A native of Kohtla Jarve, Estonia, Morozov enters his second year at Illinois, though he returns to campus with some more hardware. Morozov placed first in the triple jump at the U20 European Championships over the summer, and he says the opportunity to not only win but also represent his country was something he does not take for granted.
"For every athlete in every sport, it's so cool when you represent your university. It's so cool when you represent your clubs. When you represent your country, that's something special," Morozov said. "That's the best thing to do: compete somewhere in the international competitions, in the big competitions for your country, because you're the only one for your country. That's the best thing. I think all athletes work for it, so to have an opportunity to compete for your nation is very important."
After placing third at the European competition two years ago and earning a bronze medal at the world championships, Morozov knew he had what it took to finally break through and win gold. With months of increased practice and training, he achieved his goal, but he is not satisfied yet.
"I approached the competition with the knowledge that there is nothing else but gold," Morozov said. "When I won, that just happened. I was like, 'Yeah, that happened.' I wasn't crying. There weren't any tears. It just was a feeling of something completed. It was something I was working really hard for."
Knowing he wanted to compete in the U.S. following his third-place finish at Euros in 2021, Morozov says Kyprianou and Illinois are going to help him on his path to the Olympics.
"Illinois is my biggest support on this path," Morozov said. "Here's my coach: really smart, really kind, and a professional. He's a master in his thing. Everything that we want, we can find here. Illinois is the perfect place where you can achieve your goals and achieve your dreams."
When faced with the decision of what country to represent, there was never any doubt in Ndudi's mind: She wanted to don the threads of her birthplace, Ireland. Though that nation is not a powerhouse in the world of track and field, she knew she wanted to put the team on the map.
"Ireland isn't a country you see a lot in track and field. You don't really see them dominate on the big stage. We have a few athletes, but not that many," Ndudi said. "Being able to get to the top, especially representing my country, was huge for me because that's where I grew up and the country I always said I would represent in big competitions. There was a lot of pride."
Ndudi took home the gold medal in the long jump at the 2023 U20 European Championships, though it took a while for the realization to set in. Once the adrenaline subsided and the feelings of joy and relief set in, she says she had always set the goal of becoming a European champion, and coming up short would have been deflating.
"Before that big jump, before that day, I was thinking, 'What if all of this work was for nothing?' I'd worked so hard. That was the one goal I wanted to achieve, and I knew that if I didn't achieve that, I'd be pretty upset because I'd worked so hard," Ndudi said. "It was really just a big feeling of relief that I finally got to where I wanted to be."
She dreamed of coming and competing in the States starting from a young age, and she knows Illinois will help her progress and improve both physically and mentally. Her European victory served as motivation to qualify and compete at the Olympics not just this summer in Paris, but also for years to come.
In her first year with the Illini, Ndudi has big goals and dreams, but she is right where she needs to be to take the next jump in her competitive career.
"I always said that I would come to a big school here on a scholarship and compete to get better, but then I kind of forgot about that idea when I got older. Last year, it started coming back because I really saw myself having a future in track and field," Ndudi said. "I thought this would be the best thing to get me that step further to go professional. I can reach my big goals here. Especially having an ambitious coach like Petros, who has the same goal of me getting to the Olympics, I think it will help me progress a lot."
