THE MATCH MAKER: Renowned coach Bro Colm has also become marriage conduit for his athletes

By JONATHAN KOMEN

Former San Antonio Marathon winner Gilbert Koech with his wife Edna Kiplagat, twice world marathon champion. INSET: Bro Colm O’Connell.  [PHOTOS: PETER OCHIENG’ / STANDARD]

Bro Colm O’ Connell has certainly produced dozens of Kenya’s world beating track stars.

But that’s not all. He has also provided a vivid meeting point for athletic couples that would be fit for an Oscar award.

During the holidays, he assembles student athletes in Iten where majority are from athletics-rich Sing’ore Girls and St Patrick’s High Schools.

More than 20 track superstars meet at the camp, usually held during school holidays, then cultivate relationships that see them exchange marriage vows.

Bro Colm is a lay missionary who came to St Patrick’s High School in 1976 as a Patrician Brother teaching Geography and developed interest in athletes.

He is now a living legend who requires no crutch to stand tall in world athletics arena, having been branded “The Match Maker” by the now successful couples.

He started the private training camp in 1989 that will celebrate its silver jubilee this year.

There is no better way to capture Kenya’s trailblazing couples than with these students who saw their marriage bells start ringing while in the training camp.

Colm, who was born in 1948 in Cork County in Ireland, said: “They are more than 20. I am happy these couples trained with me. I graced some of their weddings and, at times, even visit them.”

“In 1984, I had my first students at the Olympics in Los Angeles, the Cheruiyot’s twins -- Charles and Kipkoech -- competing in 5,000m and 1,500m.  They were in Form Three. By then, we never had the holiday athletics coaching,” said Colm.

He went on: “Charles married Lenah Chesire, a world cross-country runner, who was a student in Sing’ore.”

Chesire helped Kenyans clinch world cross-country junior titles three times.

During the pioneer training programme in 1989, Colm invited then budding athletes, among them Lydia Cheromei (Sing’ore Girls), Rose Cheruiyot (Kipsoen Sec), Ismael Kirui (Marakwet Boys) and Hosea Kogo.

Cheromei, who won Kenya’s first women’s gold at the world cross-country in 1991, met and married Kogo, a former world cross-country runner. Their marriage, however, did not last.

She is now married to Jackson Kirwa, the winner of 2008 Firenze Marathon in Italy.

But Ismael Kirui, the Olympic 5,000m silver medalist, tied the knot with Rose Cheruiyot, the 1994 world cross-country junior silver medalist.

Former Commonwealth Games 800m champion, Japhet Kimutai married Naomi Misoi, who won bronze medal in 800m at the World Juniors in 1998.

These athletes’ have a fair share of similarities.

Colm says: “We have 800m and 5,000m pairs of couples; all with medals at world competitions. That’s Japhet Kimutai and Naomi Misoi as well as Ismael Kirui and Rose Cheruiyot. I don’t know what will happen genetically.”

Former world junior 1,500m champion William Chirchir won the heart of world junior 5,000m runner Margaret Chepkemoi while at the camp.

On one hand, world 3,000m record holder Saif Saeed Shaheen, formerly Stephen Cherono, met her wife Monica at the holiday training camp.

Then came the formidable force of 2009 San Antonio Marathon winner Gilbert Koech and tw0-time world marathon champion Edna Kiplagat.

“We met the camp. But there was no time to share a lot. Years later, we were invited to Hamilton City race in Canada and we met in the plane and shared our experiences as the relationship grew,” Edna recalled with a smile and a twinkle in her eye.

Mercy Kosgei, the 2006 world cross-country silver medallist, is married to Nixon Chepseba, the Moscow Worlds 1,500m runner.