Kenyan marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptom perishes in a car crash
Kenyan road racer Kelvin Kiptom, 24, who held the world record for men's marathons, passed away.
On Sunday, he and his Rwandan coach, Gervais Hakizimana, were killed in a vehicle accident on a road in western Kenya.
As a competitor against fellow countryman Eliud Kipchoge, one of the greatest racers of all time, Kiptom succeeded in 2023.
In October of last year, Kiptom ran the 26.2 miles (42 km) in two hours as well as 35 seconds in Chicago, breaking Kipchoge's record.
Later this year, both competitors were nominated to Kenya's provisional marathon squad for the Olympics in Paris.
While expressing his sympathies to the victim's family, Kipchoge remarked on X that the man who broke his own records was a rising star who had "a whole life" to accomplish "incredible greatness".
William Ruto, the president of Kenya, also offered praise, describing Kiptom as a remarkable player who made a lasting impression on the globe.
Farah believes Kiptom would have had a "incredible career."
How Kiptom used borrowed sneakers to set a world record
On Sunday, at around 20:00 GMT (23:00 local time), a traffic collision happened.
Police provided information on the collision, stating that Kiptum "lost control [of the vehicle] as well as veered off the road and into a ditch on the left" while operating a vehicle.
According to a police statement, "it traveled about 60 meters into an opening before colliding with a large tree."
Both Hakizimana and Kiptom perished at the site of the crash. A third individual, a young lady, had severe injuries and was admitted to the hospital for further care.
Kiptum's squad just declared last week that it will try to run a marathon in under two hours in Rotterdam, Netherlands, in April. This is an unprecedented accomplishment for an open sport.
The father of two became well-known very soon; in 2022, he merely completed his first full marathon.
After winning the Valencia Marathon in April 2023 in the fourth-fastest time ever recorded (2:01:53), he immediately made an impression by establishing a course record of 2:01:25 at the London Marathon.
In his last marathon, held in Chicago six months later, Kiptum cut 34 seconds off the world record time.
He had already worked out a particular tactical strategy that allowed him to run with the group for the first thirty km, then pick up the pace and finish the race alone.
In 2018, Kiptum participated in his first significant tournament while wearing borrowed shoes since he was unable to purchase a pair for himself.
He was part of a new generation of Kenyan athletes who broke with convention by beginning their careers on the road instead of the track before progressing to longer distances.
Last year, Kiptom told the BBC that his unconventional decision was solely motivated by a lack of funding.
"I didn't have money to travel for track sessions," he said.
Outside the hospital where his corpse was transported, in the Rift Valley city of Eldoret, a crowd has gathered.
Someone remarked, "I don't know what to say, but God, if we contributed wrong, God forgive us because Kiptum had been preparing for great heights."
"We want to say more to Kenyans as well as the family of the late hero," another person said to a local TV station. I apologize deeply."
Kenya's Minister of Sports Ababu Namwamba responded to the news of his passing on Twitter, writing: "Devastatingly sad!! Kenya has lost a unique jewel. Speechless."
Former prime minister and head of the opposition in Kenya, Raila Odinga, said that the nation was grieving "a remarkable man... and a Kenyan athletics icon" and that it had lost "a true hero".
Kiptum was described as "an incredible athlete leaving an incredible legacy" by Sebastian Coe, president of World Athletics.
Hakizimana, a 36-year-old former Rwandese sprinter, was Kiptom's coach. He worked with Kiptum for many months to break the world record last year.
Although the world record holder and the athlete originally met when she was much younger, their partnership as coach and athlete started in 2018.
Hakizimana said, "I knew him since he was a little boy grazing cattle barefoot," back in 2017. He used to kick my heels while I was exercising close to his father's property in 2009, and I would shoo him away.
"I am now appreciative of his accomplishment.”
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