I started coaching Kenyan athletes in Italy already, because some of them asked me to follow them when I was the Italian responsible. I started for the same reason I coached athletes from France, Ukrain and Maroc already in Italy, when they asked to be followed. So, the motivation I had was not to win, but was to try to help people in reaching their best results, related with their talent. I always put the moral values of athletics as first step for my coaching, and as first step of my programs.
The most important thing for a coach is to change the mind of the athletes, making easy (in their mind) what before for them was difficult or, sometimes, not possible. So, at the base of my coaching there is an educative process, and I spend more time talking with the athletes than following them in their exercises.
Let me think that, after 50 years I'm in athletics, and I had the opportunity to meet thousands athletes, and to coach may be thousand athletes again, or more, I can be able to understand who is morally clean, and who isn't.
I don't say everybody is clean, but some kind of mentality is part of the person, and we can see it from the beginning. For example, one of the first question from athletes coming from Maroc, Arab Countries, Ukrain is WHICH KIND OF SUPPORT THEY HAVE TO TAKE. They don't ask "if" there is some support, they ask directly "which" support have to take. This means their mentality is that is not possible running fast, and probably to live, without something artificial helping the body.
I don't say all these athletes are doped : I say they have the culture of looking for some aid, BECAUSE THEY THINK THEIR TALENT PLUS TRAINING IS NOT ENOUGH, and this is exactly the mentality we have in US (you are an example).
On the contrary, NEVER I HAD A QUESTION LIKE THIS FROM SOME AFRICAN ATHLETE. They believe in themselves, may be sometimes dreaming too much, and for that reason sometimes are not able to compete well : because, also when have little training, in their mind always are ready for something important.
The reason because now I don't coach Italian is because I'm not in Italy frequently, and because the most part of them don't have any more a right mentality. Nothing to do with their talent, all to do with the current mentality in my Country. If there is somebody with different behavior (for example, Andrea Lalli that came to Item this winter for long time), I help him without any problem.
What you have to understand is I coach for the athletes, not for myself. So, I'm happy not when an athlete I coach wins, but when can improve his best, also if his level is not at the top. Personally, I consider my masterpiece the result of Luca Foglia, Swiss guy working in Italy as physio of the Italian Team more than 20 years ago, that was able running in 2:18 without any possible talent (his best in 400m was 61"), training in Tirrenia, Italian National Center, after working 12 hours per day with all the Italian runners under myself and Luciano Gigliotti in the camp (may be more than 15 massages every day).
If you do athletics, that is a sport giving the measure of yourself, your first goal is to better yourself. Winning comes after this motivation. So, if I can help athletes in improving, I can give them some happyness, and this is my final goal.