‘Biggest loss since I’ve been alive’ - Boldon says Francis’ death hurts more than just Jamaican athletics

KINGSTON, Jamaica (CMC):
Trinidad and Tobago sprint legend Ato Boldon has described the death of former Jamaican athletic coach Stephen Francis as one of the most significant losses the global track and field community has experienced in decades.
Francis, who died on July 4 at the age of 62, was the co-founder and head coach of the MVP Track Club in 1999. He transformed Jamaica into a sprinting powerhouse, guiding stars such as Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Asafa Powell, Elaine Thompson-Herah, and Shericka Jackson to multiple Olympic and World Championship medals.
In a recent interview, Boldon, a four-time Olympic medallist, said Francis’ impact extended far beyond Jamaica’s shores.
He maintained that Francis’ influence reshaped the global athletics landscape.
“I think, no matter where your passport or your allegiance, you realise that Stephen Francis was a great. He wasn’t a great Jamaican. He was a great, period,” Boldon said.
“… I think this is one of the biggest losses we’ve had in this sport since I’ve been alive. A lot of the other great coaches are still around – Bob Kersee and others, so this is monumental.”
For decades, many of Jamaica’s greatest sprinters – including Merlene Ottey, Don Quarrie, Ray Stewart, and Michael Green, developed through the American collegiate system before representing Jamaica internationally.
However, Boldon said Francis challenged that long-established model.
“He and the people who were integral in starting MVP said, ‘Wait a minute, why are we sending our athletes to the NCAA to get run into the ground for four or five years, and then they come back and give Jamaica what’s left? Let’s change the thinking.’
“It changed the thinking globally. Athletes still have the option to go through the NCAA system, which is a great system, but they also have other options. They can stay at home, develop locally, and still become world-class athletes,” Boldon said.