Tears shed all round as devastated friends, family and members of the athletics fraternity on Wednesday afternoon, February 21, convened at Rusororo Cemetery in Gasabo District to bid farewell to deceased Gervais Hakizimana, the Rwandan athletics coach of Kenya's world marathon record holder Kelvin Kiptum. Hakizimana, 36, and Kiptum, 23, died in a car crash at Kaptagat area of Western Kenya on February 11, while heading to Eldoret. Kenyan Sports Minister Ababu Tawfiq Pius Namwamba and his delegation were among hundreds who attended the burial for the late athletics coach who is survived by a wife and a daughter. After the burial ceremony, Namwamba told The New Times that Hakizimana not only means a lot to Kenyan athletics after lifting Kiptum to setting a new world marathon record in October. “Gervais is one of us, he has been a part of Kenya for the last 24 years. He came to Kenya in 2006, we consider him as being part of Kenyan athletics family. He has been a brilliant coach to one of our best talents Kelvin Kiptum,” the Kenyan Minister said. “Gervais has made a very big contribution to Kenyan athletics and Kenyan sport at large. He has also been a symbol of the great friendship between Kenya and Rwanda, our two countries have very good relations and he and Kiptum have been symbols of a very strong relationship between our two countries,” he added. Among Kenyans who travelled to Rwanda for the burial of the athletics coach were Hakizimana’s wife Joan Jemutai Chelimo and her daughter. Chelimo, who lived with the late Nyaruguru-born coach for 12 years, only recalls positives about her deceased husband. “My husband was a hero, someone who would do anything to get what he wants. He was very intelligent,” a grieving Chelimo told The New Times. To keep Hakizimana’s legacy, Chelimo vowed to encourage her daughter to follow her father’s footsteps and become an athlete. “His career will inspire his daughter so much. Her dad loved athletics so much, we hadn’t discussed the career for our daughter but I believe she can be a great athlete too,” the widow said. Hakizimana was a man of dreams, who was always thinking the best he can do to uplift Rwandan athletes. At the time of his passing, Hakizimana had several personal and collective projects, including the forthcoming ‘UniRun Rwanda’, a joint athletics talent development initiative which he, together with Ntakiyimana and Philippe Plancke, had submitted for registration with the Rwanda Governance Board. We had a big family of athletes. I got to know Gervais through what he has for himself, his family and the country. As athletes, Alexis Sharangabo, a former official at the National Olympic Committee, vowed to keep the coach’s dream, alive and help more athletes to unleash their potential in their athletics career. “He is gone but there are many Gervais here and as long as we are still alive we will try to do all we can keep his dream alive. He had projects that he was about to run, we can achieve his dream to make sure he is happy wherever he is,” Sharangabo said. Who was Hakizimana? Born in Nyaruguru District, Southern Province, Hakizimana transitioned from a successful long-distance athletic career, notably representing APR athletics club and the national team, to coaching and talent scouting around 2008. His professional journey took him to various countries, including France, Kenya and Rwanda. ALSO READ: Gervais Hakizimana: Short-lived dream of a top Rwandan athletics coach Recognised for his keen eye for talent, Hakizimana had been actively scouting potential athletes since 2017. He would identify promising individuals and connect them with good managers, particularly in France. ALSO READ: Rwandan athletes eulogise deceased coach Hakizimana It was Hakizimana who himself discovered and groomed Kiptum, until the athlete achieved a new world marathon record in October 2023 when clocking the 26.1 miles (42km) in two hours and 35 seconds. His marathon record was ratified just last week by the World Athletics.
