Tributes have been paid to former British Olympic long-distance runner and coach John Nuttall who has died aged 56 after a heart attack.
His wife Liz McColgan, the 1991 10,000m world champion, said Nuttall died on Thursday and he was a “much loved dad, son, brother and husband”.
A 5000m Commonwealth bronze medallist in 1994, Nuttall competed for Great Britain at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
“For those that loved John our hearts are breaking,” McColgan wrote.
His daughter Hannah Nuttall, a British middle-distance athlete, posted: “I cannot believe that this day has came so soon and unexpected and that you are no longer with us, my heart is completely broken.
She said her father’s ability to “help others and provide guidance was like no other”.
Nuttall’s stepdaughter Eilish McColgan who is the 10,000m British women’s record holder, wrote on Instagram: “It’s hard to find the words right now. Our family suffered a huge loss yesterday with the sudden passing of my stepfather John.
“We’ve spent the last six weeks here in Doha, with my mum and John, and so his passing has been a huge shock. We are still trying to process it.
“There is such a huge outpouring of love from both Doha and everyone back home in the UK. It just reinforces how many people thought so highly of him. He will be missed by us all.”
Nuttall represented Great Britain at the World Championships in 1993 and 1995, and World Cross Country Championships on five occasions.
Following his retirement, he worked as an endurance coach at UK Athletics before joining the Aspire Academy in Qatar in 2013, working alongside Liz, who was an Olympic silver medallist in 1988.
In a statement on Friday, UK Athletics said: “Everyone at UKA is deeply saddened by the sudden passing of our former colleague John Nuttall.
“His loss is felt deeply by friends and colleagues here at UKA who worked alongside and knew John. Our thoughts are very much with his family and close friends at this time.”
