How legend David Chelule's career changed athletics in Olenguruone

A file photo of former world junior silver medallist David Chelule in action. The athletics legend died last Friday at 49. [Courtesy, Standard]

Athletics legend David Chelule, who died last Friday aged 49, has been celebrated as a mentor to budding stars.

The late Chelule, a double world junior silver medallist, died at night, moments after a boisterous traditional initiation ceremony in Kiptaragon, within Kuresoi in Nakuru County, his family told Standard Sports yesterday.

Distance athletes described Chelule, a former 5,000m, 10,000m and cross-country star, as a sportsman who promoted athletics mentorship in Olenguruone, particularly in his home village of Simotwet.

The late Chelule’s brother, Wesley Chelule, a retired marathoner, said his brother turned Olenguruone into an athletics locus soon after representing Kenya at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

“David (Chelule) showed young athletes from the larger Olenguruone the way. He was an inspiration to many athletes, including me. We ran together from 1995 after he inspired and nurtured me,” Wesley said in a telephone interview.

He added: “At one point, he turned his home into a camp and trained many youngsters in the 2000s while linking other talents with training opportunities in Ngong. However, it was not until 2005 that he stopped hosting athletes and nurturing them in different camps after identifying those with potential.”

A file photo of former world junior silver medallist David Chelule in action. The athletics legend died last Friday at 49. [Courtesy, Standard]

According to Wesley, David vomited before collapsing and dying shortly after enjoying food and drinks during the cultural rites, which were conducted barely three kilometres from his home.

He said a funeral committee had settled on this Saturday as the date for the legend’s interment.

“My brother had been battling high blood pressure since 2017, but he had been managing the condition with medication. His sudden death was shocking,” Wesley said.

Jeremiah Mutai, a 400m hurdler and 800m athlete who bagged two silver medals at the 2011 African Junior Championships in Gaborone, Botswana, remembered the late legend as a motivator.

Mutai, who also comes from Olenguruone, said that when he launched his career, he received his first training programme from the late Chelule.

“I started training without shoes, and when the late Chelule spotted me, he encouraged me and inspired me through his own story. He told me how he ran for years in school and after his education without shoes before getting his first spikes after winning a race. Through Chelule, I learnt perseverance, especially in training. His training programme propelled me into sprint and middle-distance racing,” said Mutai.

He said the late Chelule nurtured other athletes, including 10,000m and cross-country specialist Collins Koros and US-based runners such as Nicholas Kirui and Franklin Kebenei, as well as Kenya Defence Forces’ Geoffrey Barberei, who perished in a road accident.

Koros said Chelule shaped his cross-country running 13 years ago when he launched his long-distance running journey.

“While we were in training in 2013, when I launched my career in athletics, David Chelule saw my potential and advised me to remain focused and continue pushing harder. Eight years later, I made it to the team for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and the 2022 World Cross Country,” said Koros.

Athletics Kenya (AK) is mourning the former long-distance athlete through a statement issued on Monday.

The federation said Chelule cemented his place among the country's accomplished distance runners when he represented Kenya at the 2000 Olympic Games.

Born on July 7, 1977, the late Chelule made his mark in international athletics during the late 1990s, recording impressive personal bests in middle- and long-distance track events.

AK described his death as a major loss to the athletics fraternity.

"His dedication, talent and commitment to athletics earned him a place in Kenya's rich sporting history," the federation said.

The statement further read in part: "His contribution to the sport will be remembered by fellow athletes, coaches and the wider athletics fraternity."

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