One of the founding members of the Kajaks Track and Field Club, Anne Covell Cliff, has passed away.
Covell Cliff, an Olympic 400-metre runner, was one of the founding members of the Richmond Track and Field Club, later known as the Kajaks.
At the age of 18, she became the club’s first Olympian and set a Canadian record of 54.3 in the 400 metres at the 1968 Mexico Olympic Games.
The Delta Secondary School grad attended the University of British Columbia where she obtained her BPE and MEd degrees.
Covell Cliff married club team mate Brian Cliff and settled in Richmond where their family of two boys grew up.
She had a full career as a secondary school educator, counsellor, and coach in multiple sports before retiring from the Vancouver School District in 2007.
Both Covell Cliff and her husband became valuable members of the Achilles International Track and Field Society, which organizes the Harry Jerome International Track Classic and the Jerome Indoor Games.
She made a major contribution to the sport of track and field throughout her life as an Olympic athlete, educator, coach and administrator.
She is survived by her husband, Brian, and their sons, Tony and Ian.
