TWO former Bromsgrove School hockey coaches took leading roles in their sport at the Rio Olympics, putting players for the USA and Germany through their paces.

Craig Parnham, head coach for America's national women's hockey side since January 2013, was Bromsgrove first team girls' coach in the 1990s and later became the school's director of hockey until 2004.

And Jimi Lewis, who was also active in creating the Bromsgrove School's hockey success, is now goalkeeper coach for the German national side, who scooped a bronze medal in this year's Olympic finals against the Netherlands.

While he was at the school, Mr Parnham led Great Britain to two Olympic games with the men's hockey team - and still found time to coach many Bromsgrove pupils to the indoor and outdoor national championships five years in a row.

The school teams back in those days included future England and Olympic hopefuls Jennie Bimson, Lucilla Wright and Sally Walton.

And Mr Parnham himself represented England and Great Britain 115 times, with the 1996 school magazine describing him as "an inspiration with original tactics".

Mr Lewis coached pupils at Bromsgrove alongside fellow Cannock Hockey Club player Chris Mayer and made his international debut against South Africa in 1994.

He is currently based with the Gross Flottbeker club in Germany and was a member of the men's GB squad that finished ninth in the 2004 summer Olympics in Athens.

School deputy head Paul Mullan said: “During his time at Bromsgrove, Craig Parnham was instrumental in producing the finest of hockey sides in the school’s history.

"He was an outstanding coach and player who managed to combine his school duties with that of leading his country to the Commonwealth and Olympic Games.

"Jimi Lewis had bags of enthusiasm and threw everything into his coaching, helping many young players achieve notable success, something which you can now see in the German side."

At the Rio Olympics, Mr Parnham's team - USA women - made it to the quarter finals but were knocked out by Germany.

But Mr Lewis's German men got through to the finals, where they won a bronze medal after drawing 1-1 with the Netherlands.