Coastweek - - A VERY warm welcome was given to Seraphino Antao, Kenya's super sprinter in the sixties, on his return from the UK after an absence of 38 years.

Friends and strangers alike have gone up, even if just to say 'jambo' to this man who in 1962 won Kenya it's very first gold medal in athletics, placing our then young country on the world map.

Antao had come back to his country of birth to attend the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Kenya Amateur Athletics Association which were held over the weekend in Nairobi.

The Association had decided to mark the event by honouring all it's past athletes at a ceremony held at Riadha House and graced by the Minister for Sports Hon. Najib Balala.

Each athlete was given a T-shirt denoting the decade when he reigned supreme and a parade was held followed by an award ceremony where they were all given certificates honouring their contribution to athletics in Kenya.
Of course Antao was the very first to be honoured for his gold medals earned in the 100 yard and 220 yard sprint during the1962 Commonwealth Games in Australia.

Coastweek - - OLYMPIC GOLD medallist Kipchoge Keino and Common wealth Games gold medallist Seraphino Antao are seen together in Nairobi early this week following celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of the Kenya Amateur Athletics Association - one of the most consistently successful sporting organisations in the history of world sports.
COASTWEEK PHOTO - ANJUM ASODIA

Since tasting that very first gold, Kenya has never looked back, producing world class runners like Kipchoge Keino, Naftali Temu, Rono, Paul Tergat, Sammy Kipketer and so many more (the list is endless) in both sprints and long distance events.

Even our women have also not lagged behind clocking some unbeatable times in athletics, proving to the world year in-year out, that Kenyan athletes are a class of their own.

Meeting up with Seraphino Antao was a dream come true for I had heard about his exploits on the track at a young age from my mother who was a fan of his.

Of course the fact that he was a regular customer at our shop on Haile Selassie Avenue (then Station Road) was an added advantage.

Born on 30th October 1937, the first child of Diogo Manuel and Anna Maria, Antao has four brothers and two sisters (living all over the world).

He was brought up in Ganjoni and Makupa, moving home many times since his father worked for the Railways and occupied the Railways' Quarters.

GOAN HIGH SCHOOL MOMBASA

In his youth Seraphino was a very athletic person and participated in all sporting activities at his Goan High School (now St. Valentine's School) but was more inclined towards football.

Taking part in Coast competitions, he realised that he was quite a good short distance runner, but having nobody to race against, could not quite judge his abilities to their limits.

His first break came in 1956 when he was eligible to participate in a national competition held in Nairobi.

Here his true colours came to light and Antao decided to pursue sprint events with more gusto.

He managed to break the Kenya National records for 100 and 220 yards in 1957 and knew that he was destined for more glory.

Finally selected for the 1958 Commonwealth Games in Cardiff in Wales, the experience was more of learning than anything else, as his performance there was nothing much to write home about.

By now, Seraphino was holding a job as a supervisor with the Landing and Shipping Company who were agents for the East African Railways.
Training was regularly held at the East African Railways Sports Club and the Mombasa Municipal Stadium.

Coastweek - - Seraphino Antao holds the
memento given to him by the Nairobi
Institute honouring his achievements.

Antao's attempt at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome showed a marked improvement on his past attempt as he only just missed the semi finals.

He was however invited to London to compete against the United States of America where he also fared quite well.

Back in Mombasa, training was now more in earnest as he got himself a professional coach Ray Batchelor.

They trained together two to three hours a day, every day of the week including Sundays and everything got more technical and detailed.

They would at times train at the Mombasa Municipal Stadium and sometimes on the beach where running on the soft sand further enhanced Seraphino's stamina and running power.

'OLYMPIC GAMES' IN TOKYO

The efforts paid off and in the 1962 Commonwealth Games held in Australia, Seraphino competing against the likes of Harry Jerome clocked in at 9.5 seconds for the 100 yards and 21.1 seconds in the 220 yards taking away the gold medal for both events.

He also participated in the 4 x 440 yards relay with the Kenyan team who finished fifth in the final.

A hero's welcome awaited him back home, forever etching his name out in Kenyan athletic history.

In 1963 he was invited to the Australian Games where he made a mark for himself and all Kenyans.

The next hurdle was the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo where he was the flagbearer for the Kenyan team.

Unfortunately, he fell ill just before his event and had to retire.

That is when, handing over the flag to his compatriot Kipchoge Keino who was ruling the world at that time, Antao decided that the time was ripe for his retirement from competitive running having given eight years of his life to it.

Shortly after the Tokyo Olympics, Seraphino decided to immigrate to the U.K.

Initially he ran a boutique in London for a few years, before he joined Thorn EMI as an Accounts Assistant.

He worked for this international firm for about 30 years, before retiring ten years ago.

For many years he has been involved with training children at the Crystal Palace and also participated in the European circuits winning many medals before he hung up his boots.

However, he is still very fit training in his gym at home at least three days a week.

His fondest memories of Mombasa are the hot sun and madafus and he was rueful that he would not be able to visit Mombasa this time as time would not have it, but would love to come back especially if his visit coincided with a major athletic event.

STILL FLUENT 'SWAHILI' SPEAKER

He still speaks Kiswahili very fluently, despite having been away for almost 40 years.

This he attributes to the fact that once in a while he gets together with his Kenyan friends in the U.K. and they make sure they converse in Kiswahili keeping up their fond memories of Kenya.

There have been so many friends who have been in touch with him on his visit that as he puts it "the phone just did not stop ringing as soon as I arrived and even a little bit of rest was out of the question".

The Goan Institute in Nairobi also honoured him with a dinner party and a memento for his achievements.

He has also been featured on the international athletics website featuring past runners and their biographies

http://www.runningpast.com

Seraphino Antao leaves Kenya today (Friday) to go back to the U.K. but a part of him will always remain here with us, in our minds, hearts and our glorious history.

ATHLETICS

Talking about events that took place between 1956 and 1964 with great detail is only possible with a subject so close to one's heart.

Seraphino Antao recalls every detail of what happened between those years as if they took place only the other day.

Tall and fit, Antao cuts a typical athletic figure, which belies his advanced age. He is 66 years old. He is nostalgic about the days athletes trained naturally and won medals for their nations. Their success, he recalls, was not influenced by financial considerations.

For starters, Antao was the first Kenyan to win a medal for the country. He won double gold - 100 and 200 yards - at the 1962 Commonwealth Games in Perth, Australia.

Although he is a naturalised British, he joined pioneer Kenyan athletes during the Athletics Kenya Gala Night last weekend where medalists were garlanded and honoured.

After living in London since 1965, Antao could hardly remember Nairobi streets or buildings.

"How things have changed! The only place I recognise well is the Railway Station where we used to disembark from Mombasa," he said.

"I also recognised Government Road (now Moi Avenue) but buildings are so tall I got lost in the middle," he said.

Antao left Kenya in 1965, one year after retiring from athletics. He returned briefly in 1968, but only for two months.

He was back in London where he worked for Thorn EMI as an accounts assistant.
Born in Mombasa 66 years ago to Goan parents, Antao attended local schools before joining then Goan Secondary School (now Mombasa High School). After school, he worked for Landing and Shipping Company, which were agents for East African Railways and Habours Corporation.

That was when he launched his athletics career. He ran for his company during the regional athletics championships and finished fourth. He never looked back. He lost only once to a Ugandan called Amukun between 1957 and 1964.

His first trip overseas was in 1958. He was in the Kenyan team to Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, Wales. He reached the second round of 100 yards, "a learning experience that was."

Two years later, he reached the semi-finals of the 100 yards and quarter-finals of the 200 yards at the Rome Olympic Games.

The moment of glory came in 1962 when Antao won double gold in Perth. He tried a 4x440 yards relay but they finished fifth. In the relay team were Wilson Kiprugut, Kimaru Songok, Antao and Peter Francis.

When Kenya became an independent nation in 1963, Antao became the first flag bearer when the team went to the Tokyo Olympics in 1964.

At the Gala Night, Antao reunited with Nyantika Maiyoro, Bartonjo Rotich, Kanuti Sum, Kiptalam Keter and Mabodhia Tesot, the only surviving members of the Kenyan athletics team of the 1950s.

Antao recalls some of his memorable races against great athletes like Peter Radford (British world record holder), Bobby Hayes (US world record holder), Henry Carr (also world record holder from USA) and Harry Jerome, the Canadian he beat in Perth.
He won a double at the British Championships in 1962.

He won the prestigious Helms Athletics Foundation award the following year, which was awarded to six greatest athletes of the six continents by the American Foundation.

He received the award from the Colonial Governor, Malcolm McDonald, at Government House, now State House.

He also won a double in the Czechoslovakia Championships in Prague and virtually dominated the sprints in what was then called World Class meets, in Zurich, Berlin and London, the equivalent of present day's Grand Prix meetings.

Other glorious moments include joining top athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations for a match against USA in London's White City stadium immediately after the 1960 Olympics in Rome.

The Commonwealth team, made up of runners from Britain, Bahamas, West Indies and included Antao tied with the USA team in the 4x100 yards in world record time of 40 seconds.

The East African Standard (Nairobi)
INTERVIEW
February 1, 2003

Nairobi
Sixty-six-year-old Seraphina Antao was the first Kenyan to win a gold medal when he grabbed a double in 100 and 220 yards at the 1962 Commonwealth Games in Perth, Australia. He spoke to Gilbert Wandera.

Question: When did you start your athletics career and where?
Answer: I started my athletics career in 1956 while an employee of the defunct Landing and Shipping, then agents for East African Railways and Harbours Corporation in Mombasa. The company encouraged us to take part in various sporting events and I chose athletics after trying out football.

The same year, I took part in open events featuring sprinters from Kenya and Uganda. Some of my competitors had qualified for the Commonwealth Games of 1958 which were held in Cardiff, Wales. I finished fourth in the 100 yards race despite a strong field. Ali Yussuf who won the race held the Kenyan record then with a personal best of 10sec.

A few weeks later I was again placed fourth in the Kenyan championships and this made athletics officials to take note of my performance.
From 1957 I won everything in the 100 yards and 200 yards events, setting new Kenyan and East African records. I was beaten only once by a Ugandan athlete during my competing period.

Q: Can you expound more on your racing career?
A: I took part in the British championships every year and won a double in 1962 earning me a place in the Hall of Fame rota. I also participated in several races in the Bahamas and the West Indies.

I tried my hand on the World class meetings which are the equivalent of today's Grand Prix meetings that took me to Zurich, Berlin and Sweden. I won the 1963 meet in Zurich clocking 10.5sec. It was a very tense race featuring top European athletes. Unlike today's Grand Prix there was no monetary rewards for us during the world meets.

Q: A little background on your personal life?
A: I was born in Mombasa and went to Goan High School. I am single by choice.

Q: What was the most memorable race of your career?
A: Winning two gold medals at the Commonwealth Games of 1962 in Perth was the most memorable in my career. Joy and pride engulfed my whole body when I hit the tape ahead of everybody else in the 100 yards event with a time of 9.5secs. My joy was doubled when I bagged the 220 yards gold with a time of 21.1 sec in heavy and windy conditions which slowed me. I had managed 20.9 secs in the semi-finals.

The reception when I came back home was tremendous though I did not receive any reward from the government.

Q: When did you retire and why?
A: I stopped running after the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo where I did not perform well after falling ill on the eve of my competition. I also became too busy to concentrate on my athletics considering that I had a career to pursue. After eight years as a sprinter, it was not easy to keep up the tempo.

Q: When did you leave the country?
A: I left Kenya at the end of 1964 because I was already used to life in Europe. I had competed in several events there during my career.

Q: What do you do in London?
A: I worked as an accounts assistant for Thorn EMI electronics until I retired. I also coached several athletics clubs.

Q: Why did it take you so long to come back?
A: I always wanted to come back but I kept putting it off. I always said I would go tomorrow until 40 years were over. Most of my friends had also left the country and so this kept me away.

Q: How did it feel coming back to Kenya after 38 years?
A: It was so different when I left. So many things had changed. Even the hotel I stayed in had not been built by then. There was no stadium constructed then. I was, however, able to view some landmark buildings like the New Stanley Hotel and Cameo Cinema which reminded me of Nairobi then.

Q: How was athletics then compared to the state of athletics now?
A: Athletics has become more technical compared to our days. Now you have a whole team to assist you ranging from the manager, doctors and trainers. We were on our own then. The new trend has helped to improve performance. There are also huge financial rewards now which we did not enjoy.

Q: If you were born in this era, what would you do differently to help improve your performance?
A: I would probably do a lot of planning regarding my races.

Q: Why has Kenya not performed well in sprints and field events compared to their performance in the middle and long-distance races?
A: Sprint is a technical event. The training is different and more demanding than in the middle and long distance events. Kenyan athletes lack adequate technical training.

Q: What is your comment regarding the state of retired athletes? What can be done to assist them live more dignified lives?
A: Retired athletes have been ignored and something needs to be done about their state. It was sad to receive news that my contemporary Naftali Temu is ailing in hospital.

My solution to this situation is for the formation of a trust fund to help retired athletes. The fund should be set up by active athletes giving up a percentage of their earnings. I personally kick off the project by donating my Sh30,000 which I was entitled to as my award from Athletics Kenya (AK) during last weekend's 50th anniversary celebrations.

Q: Comment on the recently held Athletics Kenya 50th anniversary celebrations. Did it come too late?
A: It was a brilliant idea which came at the right time. No other country in the world has ever brought its heroes together the way Athletics Kenya (AK) did. It is a great reminder that we have not been forgotten. It also provided a great opportunity for old and current athletes to meet and share their experiences.

Q: Any hope of coming back to settle in Kenya?
A: I am not sure but I hope it will come to be.