DAME Kelly Holmes has led the tributes to her former coach Dave Arnold, who has died after a short battle against cancer.

Dave Arnold, who coached Dame Kelly through much of her career, died at the Hospice in the Weald, Pembury, near Tunbridge Wells. He was 72.

It is two years since his former protégé won two gold medals at the Olympics in Athens. Dame Kelly said: “Dave had been a huge part of my life for many, many years, since I was 12. And it wasn’t just me he coached. It was lots of young athletes. He had a huge love of the sport.”

Mr Arnold, from Tonbridge, coached Dame Kelly between 1982 and 1988, and then again from 1993 to 2002 after her time in the Army.

He coached her to eight championship medals and continued to offer her advice in the build up to and during her double Olympic success two years ago. She paid tribute to him in her acceptance speech after being named BBC Sports Personality of the year.

“He was a very big part right up to Athens,” she said. “ I knew he was able to give me good honest answers. I asked him whether I should run the 800m, the 1500m or both. He said both.”

Mr Arnold was still coaching athletes at Tonbridge Athletics Club until 12 weeks ago when he was diagnosed with the illness.

He was initially treated at Maidstone Hospital where Dame Kelly visited him, before being moved to the hospice.

Dame Kelly, who has been raising money for the hospice for the past few years, said: “It’s a great place and I’m really glad he was able to spend his last days there.”

Mr Arnold leaves a widow, Carol, and children Sharon and Laurence.

Dame Kelly, whose family lives in Hildenborough, said she hoped to organise for a memorial bench to be installed at Tonbridge Athletics Club in his memory.

Alan Newman, the Kent Messenger Group's athletics correspondent, said: “I am shocked and saddened by the news of the death of David Arnold of Tonbridge AC.

“David was best known throughout the athletics world as the coach of the double Olympic champion Kelly Holmes but it was his ability to motivate and inspire athletes of all ages and at every level that stood him apart from other coaches.”

David Hughes, chief executive of Tonbridge and Malling council, which honoured Mr Arnold with a lifetime achievement award, said: “Dave will always be known for his role in developing double Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes and I am sure nobody was more thrilled than Dave with Kelly’s achievements.

"He will be sorely missed and long remembered for the enormous contribution he made to athletics in the borough.”