KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Stephen Francis, the influential Jamaican track and field coach whose athletes won Olympic and world ****** les and helped turn the small Caribbean island into a sprinting powerhouse, has died, his club said Sunday. He was 64.
The training group Francis co-founded in 1999, the Maximising Velocity & Power Track & Field Club, or MVP, became one of the sport's premier training centers, producing generations of Olympic champions and world record holders. The club said Sunday that Francis had died late Saturday but did not disclose a cause of death.
"Stephen Francis changed the trajectory of Jamaican athletics for the better. He proved that Jamaican athletes, guided by Jamaican coaches, supported by Jamaican management, and training in Jamaica, could become the very best in the world," Bruce James, president of MVP, said in a statement.
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness offered his condolences, recalling Francis' "bold decision" to abandon his career in finance and dedicate his life to coaching track at a time when the most elite athletes in the island of just 2.8 million people sought training abroad.
"That choice helped shape one of the greatest legacies in track and field and inspired countless athletes to believe in themselves and pursue excellence," Holness wrote on X. "Jamaica has lost a remarkable son whose impact will be felt for generations."
The training group Francis co-founded in 1999, the Maximising Velocity & Power Track & Field Club, or MVP, became one of the sport's premier training centers, producing generations of Olympic champions and world record holders. The club said Sunday that Francis had died late Saturday but did not disclose a cause of death.
"Stephen Francis changed the trajectory of Jamaican athletics for the better. He proved that Jamaican athletes, guided by Jamaican coaches, supported by Jamaican management, and training in Jamaica, could become the very best in the world," Bruce James, president of MVP, said in a statement.
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness offered his condolences, recalling Francis' "bold decision" to abandon his career in finance and dedicate his life to coaching track at a time when the most elite athletes in the island of just 2.8 million people sought training abroad.
"That choice helped shape one of the greatest legacies in track and field and inspired countless athletes to believe in themselves and pursue excellence," Holness wrote on X. "Jamaica has lost a remarkable son whose impact will be felt for generations."
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