Video courtesy of KTN news reporting.
The King of Coaching: John Chumo a.k.a Kiara
In the inner ‘city’ of Kapsabet in Nandi County lives a man John Chumo a.k.a KIARA. In his heart, overflows the humility and dedication for a job- he will never be paid- no one will afford. In his own hands, he has built a bridge for many to try the route adventure in the Western world. The man you will always find at Kipchoge stadium, if you don’t find him at the stadium, just wait for about an hour and I am certain he will show up with a crew of athletes. The man with a humble touch and a down to earth approach to problems. He is truly endowed with relentless courage, vision, ability, and sense of humor. Tell him you’re a new athlete and you won’t have to introduce yourself further, perhaps he will get you started with a few workouts. You do not need more to be an athlete, all you require is a little bit of Kiara sense and the rest will be history. I had to capture this brief description because the narration I am going to outline might leave you with unnecessary doubts. The reason I am writing this story is to uncover those moments we quickly forget and move on as though no one gave you a hand along this journey called life.
I wasn’t a good athlete, to begin with, but I was not the worst kind, I mean the kind that really doesn’t know how many laps is 400m. I did show up on the field on the first day with a few things that looked like track uniforms and I was welcomed to a group commonly known as the Student runners. Nobody asked me any questions, all we were told were a few instructions from Coach Chumo. He was very brief and as clear as possible. “Today we are going for one hour and thirty minutes, the route is Chemai-Kortini, easy pace”. I might have told you Kiara had a strong sense of humor, what I failed to inform you is how he used humor to correct athletes without hurting their feelings. Here is his favorite one…… ‘Wewe unafanya matusi sio press- ups’, a funny way of saying you’re doing press-ups incorrectly. Days go by, and now you begin to understand distance in terms of running, the different workouts i.e. intervals, fartlek, diagonals, hill work, long runs, etc. and how it relates to your athletics performance.
As I unmask the untold past of John Chumo, just keep in mind that he was not an ordinary Coach, the one that scavenges on already groomed athletes, a common practice in Kapsabet. All he needed was a dream and passion and he will validate. Many would have seen him as a mere joker or idler, but I will ask you to show me any man in the entire rift who has referred more students abroad than Kiara. In simple Kiara is worth millions of Dollars, you will ask where and I will tell he paid school fees for many students. How then did he master this art? He had this extraordinary ability to locate ‘ability’ and nurture capabilities on every individual that showed up for running. He was also able to separate boys from men and mentor the starters as isolated cases. With over 18 years of experience, Kiara also had an acute sense of sight which could locate injured athletes and treat them where possible with his not-so-merciful massage or by allowing them to run on the grass (soft ground).
As the practice became a norm, we no longer felt too tired from the day’s workout. The other side of young adult life begun, roaming the streets of Kapsabet town buying nothing or chasing boys/girls. Thank God you didn’t see Kiara, but he had already spotted you, how? Is a question you will ask him. You thought you had escaped the hands of your domesticating parents, but you have landed in the hands of a no-nonsense coach/parent. The following day at practice, he would fully describe how and where you were followed by warnings. Secondly, he would humiliate you in front of everybody (after all he has nothing to lose). Once beaten twice shy, but if you fall again in is hands at the wrong place, he would notify your parents. Why all these? Kiara was the kind of the few rare personalities that treat humanity with dignity and respect.
As I conclude, I would like to spill a few beans, although it might be a shame to many, the truth be said and credit be accorded where it deserves. Kiara, when you said it is not easy to keep a scholarship it was true, many forbade your words and they lost it, they cried to the angels of the past but it was too late. Kiara, when you said many will be scared to return home for failure to make it in States, it was true: many are holding on to a future that has already passed. Kiara, you touched every household in entire Kenya, if I had the power to move a few mountains, I would have given you the highest position of Coaching in the land, but you are one in my Heart. Kiara you the HERO of the Source of Champions.
Mshamba Abroad 