- Kiptum and his coach, Gervais Hakizimana, died in an accident on Sunday night.
- Kenyan star runner dies just five days after world marathon record was certified
- Kiptum shaved 34 seconds off the previous record at the Chicago Marathon.
Kenyan long-distance runner Kelvin Kiptum has tragically died at the age of 24 in a car accident just five days after his incredible marathon world record was recognized by the World Athletics Federation.
Kiptam ran the Chicago Marathon in October in an incredible time of 2 hours and 35 seconds.
It was Kiptum’s third time running the marathon distance, and he beat the previous record held by compatriot Eliud Kipchoge by 34 seconds.
Kipchoge, a two-time Olympic champion, previously set a record of 2:01:09 at the 2022 Berlin Marathon.
Kiptam’s personal best of 50 seconds to break the world record at the Chicago Games is one of several statistics that highlight the then-23-year-old’s remarkable performance.
Kiptum averaged a pace of 14 minutes 17.3 seconds per 5k, or 4 minutes 36 seconds per mile, during the race.
The Kenyan completed the first two 5km splits in 14.26 and 14.16 seconds, setting world record pace just 10km into the race.
Initially joining seven other runners, Kiptum reached the half marathon mark with a time of 1:00.48.
Kiptam then continued his trend of producing negative splits in marathons, running the second half faster than the first.
He pulled away from compatriot Daniel Matejko and went solo after 30km, recording the fastest spill of the race.
Kiptum recorded a 5km split to reach the 35km checkpoint in 13 minutes 51 seconds, 39 seconds faster than Kipchoge, who set the record at the same stage of the race.
This split gave Kiptam a world record time of 2:00:35.
Kiptum’s time means the Kenyan averaged 2 minutes and 51 seconds per kilometer, covering each 100 meters of the race in just over 17 seconds.
His incredible time further increases his chances of running a sub-2 hour marathon under legal conditions.
Kipchoge became the first man to break the two-hour barrier in the 2019 Ineos 1:59 Challenge with a time of 1:59:40.
The feat was not recognized as a world record by World Athletics as the Kenyan great was supported by rotating pacemakers in a controlled environment in Vienna.
Kiptam won last year’s London Marathon with a time of 2 hours, 1 minute and 25 seconds, the third fastest time in marathon history.
His first marathon time of 2:01:53, set in Valencia in 2022, is the seventh fastest in history.
Before participating in the 2024 Paris Olympics, Kiptam announced his goal to run in the Rotterdam Marathon in April and further break the world record.
The runner died on Sunday in his native Kenya at the age of 24, and his coach, Rwandan international Gervais Hakizimana, 37, was also killed in a car accident near Kaptagat in the country’s southwest, where he is known as a training base. For long distance runners.
The news shocked the world of athletics, with World Athletics president Seb Coe leading a tribute to Kiptam on Sunday night, saying he was “an incredible athlete who left behind an incredible legacy”. Ta.
Details of the accident have come to light and the female passenger, Sharon Chepkemoi, 32, survived after being taken to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret.
According to Kenneth Kimaiyo, one of the first responders at the accident scene, via Nation, Kiptum’s body was found under the vehicle, the runner was already dead, and Hakijimana was still alive on the hill. It is said that
Athletics Kenya president Jackson Twei said the vehicle veered off the road, into a ditch and hit a large tree 60 meters from the main road.
He said the body will be taken to a hospital for autopsy, which will begin after the family has been briefed and “everything is in agreement.”
He said the accident occurred at 8pm GMT (11pm local time) on Sunday, and that the vehicle was “severely damaged” and was taken to the local police station for “inspection and further police action”. It added that the vehicle was towed away.
Peter Mulinge, the police commander in Kenya’s western Elgeyo-Marakwet district, confirmed that the two men who died “on the spot” were Kiptam and Hakizimana. Coe paid tribute to the 24-year-old.
Coe writes in X: “We are shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the devastating passing of Kelvin Kiptum and his coach Gervais Hakizimana.
“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 incredible things and we will all miss him dearly.”
Former world record holder Kipchoge, who is likely to compete with Kiptum for gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics, also joined in the mourning.
“I am deeply saddened by the tragic death of marathon world record holder and rising star Kelvin Kiptum,” Kipchoge wrote in X.
“An athlete who has spent his entire life achieving incredible greatness.
“My heart goes out to his young family. May God comfort you in this trying time.”