Kenyans have woken up to sad news of the shocking death of the world’s marathon record holder Kalvin Kiptum who died alongside his coach Gervais Hakizimana, along Eldoret-Kaptagat road.
The 24-year-old Kenyan athlete, who was driving a Toyota Premio, and his coach died at the scene of the crash He dies just days after World Athletics ratified his record of 2:00:35 – a record he set at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 8, 2023.
Raila Odinga, Kenya’s former prime minister, was among those to pay his respects, writing on X, “Devastating news as we mourn the loss of a remarkable individual, Kelvin Kiptum, world record holder and Kenyan athletics icon. Together with his coach, they tragically passed on in an accident tonight. Our nation grieves the profound loss of a true hero.”
Those sentiments were shared by Kenya’s minister for sports, Ababu Namwamba, who added on X: “Devastatingly sickening! Kenya has lost a special gem. Lost for words.”
Kiptum chalked 34 seconds off the previous record of 2:01:09 set by his compatriot Eliud Kipchoge on September 25, 2022, in Berlin.
A competition between the World’s finest Eliud Kipchoge World Record holder Kelvin Kiptum Uganda’s best marathoner Joshua Cheptegei was meant to lit the France24 Olympics.
