British Athletics Coach Leon Baptiste Missing in Morocco for Two Months
Leon Baptiste, a British Athletics coach and former Commonwealth Games sprint champion, has not been heard from for around two months after travelling to Morocco on what is believed to have been a weekend stag or golf trip with close friends.
He failed to return to work. His phone has gone unanswered. Neither his athletes nor officials at UK Athletics, who employ him as a Loughborough-based consultant, have been able to reach him (The Guardian; The Times).
UK Athletics declined to comment, citing confidentiality. The British Embassy in Rabat has been approached for comment.
Baptiste, 41, is best known in coaching circles for guiding Charlie Dobson, who anchored Britain's 4x400m relay squad to a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics. The pair work together at Colchester Harriers athletics club (British Athletics). Dobson had been in career-best form last summer, running a personal best of 44.14 seconds to win the 400m at the Novuna London Athletics Meet in July 2025.
In Baptiste's absence, Dobson has struggled. He failed to make it out of the 400m semi-finals at the European Championships in Birmingham, finishing fourth in 45.18 seconds. He then withdrew from the recent Commonwealth Games due to injury niggles. Speaking to reporters, Dobson described the period as "an interesting eight weeks" — a guarded reference to his coach's disappearance.
Former European 400m champion Martyn Rooney, who coaches relays, took Dobson under his wing while UK Athletics staff stepped in to support the rest of Baptiste's training group.
Baptiste's own athletic career was curtailed by a serious knee injury. He won 200m and 4x100m relay gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, but surgery forced him to miss the London 2012 Olympics and ultimately prompted his retirement at 28. He moved into coaching after deciding not to defend his Commonwealth titles at the 2014 Games in Glasgow.
A former British teammate of Baptiste expressed alarm. "He's a very calm and sensible chap," the teammate said. "It is very worrying."
For the athletes in his group, the situation is about far more than a coaching vacancy. A trusted voice has gone silent, and no one can say why.
