Legendary Kenyan athletics coach John Velzian dies at 94

I've been reading some fascinating articles on his life. He moved to Kenya in 1955 - before independence - and was the country's first national coach. But he got sacked before the 1968 Games. Sports Illustrated in September of 1968 a fascinating article on his role in Kenya, why he was canned, etc. Some thought it was cause he was white, some thought it was jealousy that he was getting a lot of credit, etc. Here is that 1968 SI article.

https://vault.si.com/vault/1968/09/30/lost-laughter

Here is a AFP article on his death.

https://www.barrons.com/news/trailblazing-kenyan-athletics-coach-john-velzian-dies-aged-93-01642712107?refsec=afp-news

And here is the 1966 SI article where he got a ton of credit that may have led to his sacking.

It was entitled

A VERY WELCOME REDCOAT

JOHN VELZIAN, THE PERSONABLE BRITISH COACH OF THE KENYA NATIONAL TRACK TEAM, HAS USED DILIGENCE, INGENUITY AND ABILITY TO TURN THE COUNTRY'S UNTRAINED ATHLETES INTO RUNNERS WHOSE PERFORMANCES ARE STARTLING THE WORLD

https://vault.si.com/vault/1966/12/19/a-very-welcome-redcoat

I posted those SI links here once before.

Interesting that as soon as they sacked him (with the support of Keino), their performances plummeted and they had to grovel and plead for him to come back in time to save their Mexico Olympic hopes, which he did.

There is a story that he was watching a race in the UK in the 50's that had a couple of Kenyans as pacemakers, and that he decided there and then that Kenyans were naturally more advantaged and set out to prove it.

Wonder why El K won't comment or pay tribute in this thread?

Indeed what a gent he was , he tried very hard for many years to create a fair sport with no politics or tribalism , coached so many athletes and mentored many coaches. Still even after 50+ years cynics would not give him due credit. He knew exactly what was going on in terms of corruption in the federation and i remember him telling me 15 years or so ago that if they could get rid of the corruption and tribalism in the federation Kenya would be a world lead in almost all disciplines. Sadly those problems are as evident now as they were back then , just a new set of actors !

Seems a lack of appreciation from our Kenyan friends here

Shame on Kenya but expected.

Coevett wrote:

Wonder why El K won't comment or pay tribute in this thread?

Sheesh. I'm off the grid, Cleo. All these years stalking me and you still don't know I'm a big fan of the Kenyan wilderness?

John Velzian is nothing short of a LEGEND! The real father of Kenyan athletics and endurance training methods mimicked worldwide after Kenyan success in the sixties.

RIP Sir.

Just to be clear, the much-vaunted Kenyan running culture wouldn't exist if hadn't been for John Velzian. He certainly belongs in the athletics hall of fame.

Also, I don't know why Rojo is trying to stir the racial waters when he knows full well Kenyan sports government has always been murky, especially in the past, with many coaches, black and white, falling victim to politics. This great man chose Kenya over the UK and ended up staying for 67 of his 94 years. He's a national hero.

I had the honor of meeting John several times over the years. A gentlemen and the most dedicated member of the athletics family. RIP John.

Runner10287 wrote:

Shame on Kenya but expected.

Excuse me? Why? He was 94 years old and most would say he had a good run. He's a Kenyan hero and will be honoured as such. Why this sudden move to make like he was unappreciated?

I love this picture of him with Paul Tergat.

We also lost Ben Kogo the same day.

https://twitter.com/Jagjit1/status/1484616264094203905?s=20

This is my own personal tribute to John Velzian, that I posted on my Facebook and Instagram account that day, after I was called first thing that morning by John's son Guy, to pass on the news, which I then passed on to World Athletics.

John was a legend in the sport, and attended Carnegie with my father Ron Pickering, who later became national coach in Great Britain, and later went on to become a commentator for BBC TV in the 70s and 80s. John was often a thorn in the side of Kenyan Government and the administrators at the top, and struggled with this througout his 60+ years in Kenya, but always fought for the athletes and the sport.

It is with great sadness that we have to announce the passing of one of the true giants of World and particularly African Athletics: John Velzian just a few weeks shy of his 94th birthday. He can perhaps be seen as the father of Kenyan Athletics, such was his impact on that country.

John was a classmate of Ron Pickering at Carnegie College of Physical Education in Leeds in the mid 1950s, who chose to take a role as Physical Education Officer for Kenya in 1958, when Kenya was still under colonial rule of the British.

John chose to stay on in Kenya following independence in 1963 and develop the incredible raw talent that the country had to offer in the sport of Athletics and particularly long distance running. It was at this time that he discovered and developed talent such as the great Kip Keino that really came to world attention at the 1968 Mexico Olympic Games.

As the first National Coach to Kenya, he also developed coach education across Africa and was for many years the Director of the IAAF Regional Development Centre in Nairobi, and was recognised by the International Governing Body with a Coaching Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011 for all that he had done for Athletics.

He remained active until well into his 90s and was always available for advice on training and development to anyone that asked.

My thoughts are with son Guy and daughter Kim and their families, who were robbed by the chance to spend time with him in recent years due to the Global Pandemic, but also on the many thousands of people on whom his efforts continue to have a positive impact.

Did her marry a Kenyan lady or Brit? Were his kids good runners?

How did he make a living in Kenya?

Thanks a lot for your contribution, Shaun.