Catholic Religious Brother Behind Kenya’s Most Successful Athletes Feted

“It's incredible and unbelievable that I should be selected,” Br. O'Connell told BBC Sport Africa, and added, “It is the highest honor a person can get, especially people from the diaspora.”

“I often wonder sometimes how somebody who lives in a remote village in Kenya can be singled out. It's a tremendous honor and very, very special,” the Irish Religious Brother said.

Originally from County Cork, Br. O'Connell's association with Kenya began in 1976 when he joined the staff of St. Patrick's High School, which was set up by Irish missionaries in Iten.

In an earlier interview on Britclip, the missionary who has been described as “the godfather of Kenyan running” said that he first arrived in Kenya after finishing his university studies and teaching for a while in his native country, Ireland.

“Our patrician brothers have a school in Kenya and the opportunity came up in 1976 for some brothers to volunteer to go to Kenya,” he narrated, and added, “Quite a number of us volunteered and I was one of the lucky ones to be selected.”

He says that St. Patrick's High School had a great interest in sports in general and that some athletic programs in the school were run by volunteer teachers.

“I was in a boarding school for boys who were available all the time and I wanted to do something for the students outside of class and of course athletics was a sport that didn't require a lot of facilities,” he shares.

Commenting on what inspired him to get involved with athletics, he says, “I was in an area where there was talent and athletes had already distinguished themselves from the area. I just learnt the sport and had a passion for it when I saw the kids were responding to training and the success of course.”

Most of the competitions the Patrician brother led his students to participate in, in the early years, he says, were fairly local. He says, “It wasn't until much later when they began to run on the international scene that I began to realize how really good they were.”

The BBC reports that Br. O'Connell's first Olympic success came in 1988 when Peter Rono, then aged 21, became the youngest-ever winner of the 1500m at the Seoul Games.

Matthew Birir and Brimin Kipruto, both winners of the Olympic 3,000m steeplechase title, also worked under the Catholic Religious Brother.

“He also developed female talent such as two-time world marathon champion Edna Kiplagat and former world 800m champions Janeth Jepkosgei and Eunice Sum,” the corporation reports of the coach who is now in his 70s.

Commenting on how he identifies talent in the Britclip video, he said, “You can see a certain amount on the exterior. First impressions can have an impact but very often you have to dig a little bit deeper and go into what they think about it. Are they prepared for the long haul? Are they prepared to keep at it, push through disappointments and failures? Are they prepared to do the hard work to reach the top?”

“The initial eye you have for the sport is only a starting point but there’s a lot more to be done after that because some people can really impress you when they’re young as being very talented but unless they have the head for it as well and the heart for it then the chances of success are very slim,” he said.

The Religious Brother also revealed that he learned the art of coaching in Kenya, adding that he always strives to learn from those he coaches rather than impose his skills on them.

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“I learned my coaching in Kenya and maybe that has an advantage. I think if I approach the athletes as a very highly qualified coach, the danger might be that you would try to impose a lot of what you learned and a lot of theoretical knowledge about the sport. But I reversed the process and I learned from the athletes. They taught me how to coach and I think that also led me into understanding them and understanding what motivates them,” he says.

He also said that he had known Rudisha from the athlete’s childhood and added that he always did his best to maintain close relationships with those he coached.

“I’ve been associated with him (Rudisha) from the time he was in primary school up to the present day,” Br. O'Connell said, and added, “I tried to set up a personal relationship with any athlete that I coached to understand them, understand where they come from, what motivates them, what their level of commitment is, and so on.”

Commenting on how he managed to get Rudisha to the height of his career, he said, “When you produce an athlete of David’s caliber, you’re never even 100 percent sure yourself how it came about. You know it's not all clearly documented clearly as to what makes a great sports person and I think I’ve been very lucky to have had somebody like David who has really responded to my program.”

He said that Rudisha had given up everything to become a successful athlete, adding, “I think, maybe, I just created the environment in which David felt very comfortable in training.”

Br. O'Connell, who previously received a coaching achievement award from World Athletics in 2019 and also has a street named after him in Iten, told BBC Africa that he has found a balance between keeping his Irish roots alive and embracing life in Kenya.

“I've always felt part of my Irish community, and I think that has been a strength to me because there is strength in diversity,” he said, and added, “I've always felt very encouraged by the support I've been given by my family and community in Ireland. And of course, I had a very high level of integration into the Kenyan community.”

The Catholic Religious Brother will be presented with the award by Irish President Michael Higgins at a ceremony scheduled to take place on December 2.