Geffen Academy at UCLA cross country and track and field coach Rad Miskovic spends much of the year helping young athletes discover what they are capable of achieving. However, earlier this month, he had an opportunity to put that same philosophy into practice himself, but on an international stage.

Miskovic traveled to Daegu, South Korea, to represent Team USA at the World Masters Athletics Championships, where he competed in the decathlon and finished eighth overall in his age group.

For Miskovic, the experience was about more than a place in the standings. It was an opportunity to continue challenging himself as an athlete and, he hopes, demonstrate to the students he coaches that athletic development and the pursuit of ambitious goals do not have an expiration date.

“I wasn’t in perfect shape, as I was recovering from injuries, and the performance is way below my actual athletic ability, but I just feel accomplished that I was able to complete it in this condition,” Miskovic said. “I hope the kids find it inspiring.”

Athlete, Coach and Sports Scientist

Miskovic brings an unusually broad athletic background to his work with Geffen Academy’s middle school and high school cross country and track and field programs.

A former competitive swimmer, he went on to excel in track and field and the decathlon. Today, he continues to compete in the decathlon at the masters level, which provides competitive opportunities for adult track and field athletes across age divisions.

Few events test an athlete’s versatility quite like the decathlon. Contested over two days, it combines 10 events: the 100-meter dash, long jump, shot put, high jump, 400 meters, 110-meter hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1,500 meters. Athletes earn points based on their performances in each discipline, rewarding a rare combination of speed, strength, endurance, technique and consistency.

In Daegu, Miskovic set a straightforward but demanding objective: complete all 10.

“Training for and competing as a Team USA athlete in masters track & field motivates me to stay in shape,” he said. “This time, my goal was to finish all 10 events of the decathlon and excel in the shot put and discus throw.”

He accomplished that goal and came home with an eighth-place medal along with a drive for the future:

“Prep for the next one has already begun.”

Bringing High-Level Experience to Geffen Academy

Miskovic’s experience extends well beyond his own athletic career. In addition to coaching, he is a sports scientist whose work examines muscle function in relation to sports diagnostics and training equipment (tensiomyography). He has coached at several schools throughout the West Los Angeles area and has worked with athletes ranging from developing students to professionals and Olympians.

That combination of scientific knowledge, high-level coaching experience and continued competition informs his approach at Geffen Academy. Rather than simply telling young athletes what training and competition require, Miskovic continues to experience that process himself: setting goals, preparing, adapting to setbacks and injuries, competing under pressure and beginning again.

For Geffen Academy student-athletes, that means learning from a coach who understands athletic development from multiple perspectives: as a coach, scientist and active competitor.

It also reflects a larger aim of Geffen Academy Athletics. Whether students are discovering cross country or track and field for the first time or pursuing increasingly ambitious competitive goals, they have the opportunity to work with coaches who bring substantial knowledge and experience to their sport while recognizing that development looks different for every student-athlete.