What might come as a surprise to many, though, is that when Seraphino Antao became the first gold medallist on the track for Kenya at a major athletics event, he did it in the sprints.

Antao, whose family was originally from Goa, was a phenomenal talent in the sport's amateur days and was clearly among the best in the world.

His golden double in Australia, at the 1962 Commonwealth Games in Perth, led to Antao receiving a personal telegram from Jomo Kenyatta, who would become Kenya's first President in 1964.

Kenyatta told him: "You have really become Kenya's priceless jewel in sports...please accept our profound appreciation of your tremendous successes."

In the year when Kenyatta stepped up from Prime Minister to the Presidency, Antao had the honour of carrying the flag for Kenya at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo. 

But the nation's appreciation of him, or of those who had settled in Kenya after moving from the subcontinent, would wane when Asians were made to feel unwelcome and many left throughout the 1960s.

Antao was one of them, moving to England after he had given up athletics.

At the height of his success, Antao was a match for anybody. 

In Perth, he finished ahead of Tom Robinson of The Bahamas in the 100 yards, which he won in 9.5sec.

"Joy and pride engulfed my whole body when I hit the tape ahead of everybody else," he said.

In the 220 yards, his 20.9sec equalled the Games record and was too good for David Jones of England, half a second behind.

In the same year he won the AAA Championships sprint double at White City in London.

Nicknamed Kelly throughout his life, Antao was a good footballer whose speed was spotted by an athletics coach in Mombasa when he was having fun with friends and family (he was the eldest of six sporty siblings).

His times for the sprints at his first local meeting, where he ran barefoot, were only just outside the national records.

For eight years he trained six days a week on the beach and in the stadium, while working full time for the Landing and Shipping Company in Mombasa.

Antao retired from athletics after the Tokyo 1964 Games, where he was not at his best, and moved to London with "a career to pursue".

When he died in 2011, there was a memorial service for him in Mombasa as well as in north Kent where he lived.

“He was unknown here, and never tried to use his athletic fame to his advantage," said Jones, the silver medallist in Perth.

"He was a lovely man, quiet but charming."