Athletics
Lelei pushed me, Guerrouj to record, recalls Bernard Lagat
By BERNARD LAGAT in Tucson, Arizona
Posted Friday, February 19 2010 at 19:10
It hurts to hear of the tragic accident that claimed the life of David Lelei. My condolences goes to his loving family, friends and to all his athletic fans. I have known David for quite a long time, now.
He was polite, gentle and very respectful man you can ever find. David was a true sportsman in and out of athletics, the sports he dearly loved.
His passion and love for athletics was always evident in his eyes. His vision was to make this sport a better one in the country—something he always mentioned whenever we talked about athletics in Africa.
In my view, this desire to make our sport better and beneficial to all persuaded David to take some important roles in organising local events in his region recently.
It was hard to separate David from Athletics and his passing is a terrible loss to the athletics fraternity in the country. His dedication and hard-work made David one among the most successful Kenyan Elites in the world of Athletics.
David represented Kenya with pride, honor and respect. With dignity that our sport requires of its ambassadors and David did not disappoint. David was not a selfish man. A man you can count on whenever you need that extra hand.
I will always remember and be grateful to David for the great work he did for me in 2001 when he helped me and Hicham (el Guerrouj) set a very fast pace in Brussels, where I finished second with a Personal Best and a National Record of 3:26.34 - a success I fully credit to David’s unselfish Heart.
That race was one of the exemplary works he was ready to do without a single whimper. If there was a single most important phrase I could use to describe this man, I would say David Lelei was a perfect gentleman and a true blessing to the lives of so many he was able to touch. That’s David I have known for a very long time. We will all miss you. R.I.P.
Bernard Lagat
(Tucson, Arizona)