By Tom Odula, Mutwiri Mutuota and Gerald Imray
Marathon world record-holder Kelvin Kiptum and his coach died in a car crash in Kenya late on Sunday, a fellow athlete who went to the hospital and saw Kiptum’s body said.
Kiptum, 24, and his Rwandan coach Gervais Hakizimana died in the accident about 11pm, said Kenyan runner Milcah Chemos, who was at the hospital where the bodies were taken.
The crash happened on a road between the towns of Eldoret and Kaptagat in western Kenya, she said, in the heart of the high-altitude region renowned as a training base for long-distance runners.
Chemos said she was among a group of athletes who had gone to the hospital in Eldoret after hearing about the crash. Family members of Kiptum were also there to identify his body, Chemos said.
Kenyan media reported that a third person, a woman, was in the car and taken to the same hospital with serious injuries.
Kiptum was the first man to run the marathon in under two hours, one minute. He set the world record of 2:00.35 at the Chicago Marathon in October, beating the previous mark of fellow Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge.
Kelvin Kiptum celebrates his Chicago Marathon record victory in October.Credit: AP
Kiptum’s record was ratified by World Athletics last week.
Kenyan athletics federation president Jackson Tuwei said he had sent a team of officials to the area after being informed of the late-night accident.
At the 2022 Valencia Marathon, Kiptum ran the fastest time by a marathon debutant. He won the London and Chicago races last year, two of the most prestigious marathons in the world.
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe offered his condolences in a statement on social media website X.
“We are shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the devastating loss of Kelvin Kiptum and his coach, Gervais Hakizimana,” Coe wrote. “On behalf of all World Athletics we send our deepest condolences to their families, friends, teammates and the Kenyan nation.”
“It was only earlier this week in Chicago, the place where Kelvin set his extraordinary marathon World Record, that I was able to officially ratify his historic time. An incredible athlete leaving an incredible legacy, we will miss him dearly.”
AP
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