MARATHON WORLD RECORD HOLDER KILLED IN CAR CRASH
Running sensation Kelvin Kiptum died in a car crash on Sunday.
The 24-year-old was driving from Kaptagat to Eldoret in Kenya’s Rift Valley when his car veered off the road and hit a tree at 23:00 local time.
Kiptum was the favourite for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The father of two’s coach, Rwandan Gervais Hakizimana also died in the crash. A woman passenger was seriously injured.
An official police report stated that the car hit a big tree in Elegyo Marakwet County.
“He lost control and veered off-road entering into a ditch on his left side. He drove in the ditch for about 60 metres before hitting a big tree.”
In October last year, Kiptum made a name for himself when he crushed the world record with a time of 2:00:35 in Chicago. He beat fellow Kenyan star Eliud Kipchoge’s previous record by 34 seconds.
It was only his third marathon. He also won his other two marathons in Valencia in 2022 and in London in 2023.
Kenyan President William Ruto described Kiptum as “an extraordinary sportsman”.
“Arguably one of the world’s finest sportsmen who broke barriers to secure a marathon record.”
Image credit: Sky News