Kenneth Powell (sprinter)

Kenneth Lawrence Powell (20 April 1940 – 11 December 2022), popularly known as "The Gentleman Sprinter",[1][2] was an Indian track and field athlete from the state of Karnataka. He competed in the 1964 Olympics and the 1970 Asian Games. He was a recipient of the Government of India's Arjuna Award in 1965 and Government of Karnataka's Rajyotsava Award in 2018.[3][4]

Kenneth Powell
Born(1940-04-20)20 April 1940
Kolar, Mysore, British India
Died11 December 2022(2022-12-11) (aged 82)
Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Other namesThe Gentleman Sprinter
OccupationTrack and field athlete
Height5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
Awards

Early life

Powell was born on 20 April 1940 in Kolar, in the present-day Indian state of Karnataka.[5] His first major event was a third-place finish at the 1957 National School Games in Calcutta (present-day Kolkata).[5]

Career

Powell moved to Bangalore when he was 19, and joined the Indian Telephone Industries (ITI) Limited, where he was coached by the Rangers Athletics club's coach Krishna.[5][6] In an interview many years later, Powell would admit that his becoming an athlete was an accident. He set out to be a cricketer and was a fast bowler with ITI. Coach Benjamin Frank recommended that he pick up sprinting after seeing his ability to run fast.[7]

Powell was one of India's top athletes in the 1960s and was known to have had a healthy rivalry with Milkha Singh.[8] He was a member of the Indian 4 × 100 metres relay team that made it to the semifinals of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. In the same Olympics, he also represented the country in the 100 metres and the 200 metres sprint events. He was also a member of the team that won bronze at the 1970 Asian Games. He had previously been left off the squad for the 1966 Asian Games also in Bangkok.[5] During his career, Powell took home 19 sprinting titles from events all over India.[5]

Powell also represented Karnataka in the National Handball Championship in 1970 and also won the silver medal for the 40–44 age-group in the 100m event at the Asia Masters Athletics Championships in Singapore in 1981.[8] He was also a finalist in the 45–49 age-group event at the World Masters Athletics Championships in Melbourne.[9]

He was also known as The Gentleman Sprinter.[8] After working at the ITI, he was employed with the railways, and later with Tata Steel from where he retired in 1997.[10] Powell remained associated with athletics in Karnataka after his retirement. He had spoken out against the Kanteerava Stadium's state and had suggested a ban on use of the facilities for non-sporting purposes.[11]

Awards

Powell received the Arjuna Award from the Government of India in 1965.[5] He was the first sportsperson from Karnataka to win the award.[12] He received the Karnataka government's Rajyotsava Award in 2018.[13]

Personal life and death

Powell was married to Daphne Powell (née Simon), who was also an athlete in her younger years.[8][6][10] The couple lived in the Cooke Town neighborhood of Bangalore.[6][14]

Powell died in Bangalore on 11 December 2022, at age 82.[8][5]

References
  1. bhambra, abhijit (19 June 2021). "Milkha Singh was a simple man with a simple living, says Kenneth Powell, The Gentleman Sprinter". NEWS9LIVE. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  2. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Kenneth Powell Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  3. "Karnataka / Bangalore News : Athletes who almost made it". The Hindu. 13 August 2008. Archived from the original on 20 September 2008. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  4. "India at the Games". Sportstaronnet.com. 2 August 2008. Archived from the original on 16 April 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  5. PTI (11 December 2022). "Olympian and 1970 Asian Games medallist Kenneth Powell passes away". sportstar.thehindu.com. Archived from the original on 10 January 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  6. Baskaran, Hari (11 April 2018). These Bloomin' Anglos: Glimpses into the Anglo-Indian heart. Notion Press. ISBN 978-1-64249-767-0. Archived from the original on 10 January 2023. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  7. "Past masters, still burning bright". Deccan Herald. 7 April 2015. Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  8. "'Gentleman sprinter' Kenneth Powell passes away". 11 December 2022. Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  9. "Olympian Kenneth Powell dies at 82". OnManorama. Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  10. Lazarus, Juliana (1 August 2010). "Anglos: A part and yet apart". Bangalore Mirror. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  11. "Non-sporting events should be banned at stadium, says Olympian". Deccan Herald. 8 December 2012. Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  12. "A Gentleman champion who endeared all". Deccan Herald. 11 December 2022. Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  13. "Karnataka Rajyotsava awards announced". Deccan Herald. 28 November 2018. Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  14. "A song for the road". Deccan Herald. 10 August 2010. Archived from the original on 10 January 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
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