Kelvin Kiptum held the world record in the marathon. Now the star of the running scene has died in an accident at just 24 years old. His coach also died.
The Kenyan athlete and former marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum died in a tragic traffic accident in Kenya. According to police reports, Kiptum’s coach Gervais Hakizimana was also in the car. He also lost his life. Another person was injured in the accident on Sunday evening.
The news shocked the sports world deeply. In October, 23-year-old Kiptum set a new world record: He ran the 42.195 kilometers in Chicago in 2:00:35 hours, 34 seconds faster than the then record holder Eliud Kipchoge a year earlier in Berlin. Now the athletics community is mourning the loss of one of its most talented athletes.
“The accident occurred at around 11 p.m. (local time, 9 p.m. CET). There were three people in the car, two died on the spot. The two are Kiptum and his trainer,” said the police in Elgeyo Marakwet in the west Kenya with. The third occupant was taken to the hospital. The car was on the way to the city of Eldoret.
Kiptum and Kipchoge were supposed to meet at the Summer Olympics in Paris this year.