Marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum (24) and his coach Gervais Hakizimana have died in a car accident in their home country of Kenya.
marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum He died at the age of just 24 in a traffic accident.
The Kenyan was involved in a tragic accident on the Eldoret-Kaptagat road in his home country while driving near his training destination.
his coach Gervais Hakijimana A man who was a passenger in the car at the time of the accident also died from his injuries.
Kiptam gained worldwide recognition last year by completing the Chicago Marathon in just 2 hours, 00 minutes and 35 seconds, setting the fastest time in open competition marathon history, but this time was only officially recognized last Tuesday.
This is his third professional marathon race, having previously won his long-distance debut in Valencia in December 2022 with a time of 2 hours 1 minute 53 seconds, and the London Marathon in December 2022. He broke the course record with a time of 2 hours 1 minute 25 seconds. Last April.
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Kiptum broke the record previously held by his compatriot in Chicago. Eliud Kipchoge He has a 34-second lead, and just last week he announced his intention to run his first-ever sub-two-hour marathon in Rotterdam this April.
World Athletics Chairman: “Shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the devastating passing of Kelvin Kiptum and his coach, Gervais Hakijimana.” sebastian coe said in a statement.
“On behalf of World Athletics, I would like to express our deepest condolences to their families, friends, teammates and the people of Kenya.
“It wasn’t until earlier this week that I was able to officially recognize Kelvin’s historic record in Chicago, where he set his incredible marathon world record.
“He was an incredible athlete who accomplished an incredible amount of work and we will all miss him tremendously.”
Kiptam was seen as the favorite to win the marathon gold medal at this summer’s Paris Olympics.