Vésteinn Hafsteinsson is one of the most successful throwing coaches in history. A proud son of Selfoss, Iceland, Vésteinn competed in four Olympic Games and five World Championships as a discus thrower. After transitioning to coaching in the mid 1990’s, he worked with 56 athletes from 10 different countries, most prominently Joachim Olsen of Denmark (2004 Olympic shot put silver), Gerd Kanter of Estonia (2007 World and 2008 Olympic discus gold), and Fanny Roos (2021 European Indoor shot put silver, 2023 bronze), Simon Pettersson (2021 Olympic discus silver), and Daniel Ståhl (2019 World and 2021 Olympic discus gold) of Sweden. In total, Vésteinn’s athletes earned 20 medals at major international championships. He and his wife, Anna, have raised three children–Örn, Olga, and Albert–and plan to spend the next five years in Iceland, where Vésteinn will serve as Head of Elite Sports.
Dan McQuaid is a high school throwing coach and retired English teacher who lives with his immensely patient wife in the Chicago suburb of Naperville, Illinois. He has two grown stepsons and an eight-year-old grandson who regularly destroys him in driveway basketball. Dan is proud that his daughter, KC, is about to embark on her own career as a teacher, coach, and writer, though why she chose distance running after having been raised among large people with chalky hands remains a mystery. Dan and Roger Einbecker, who also contributed to this book, manage the Mcthrows.com website, through which they produce articles and webinars about the sport of throwing.