Marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum has died at the age of 24, Kenya’s former prime minister announced Sunday night.
The long-distance running sensation and his coach, Rwandan Gervais Hakizimana, died in a traffic accident in the Kaptagat area of Kenya at 11:00 p.m. local time.
Kiptum made history last October when he clocked 2:00.35 to win the Chicago Marathon, breaking fellow Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge’s world record by 34 seconds.
He also won his first London Marathon last April with a record of 2:01.25, which was then the second-fastest marathon time in history. That followed his eye-catching victory in his marathon debut in Valencia in December 2022.
Kiptum would have been the favorite to win gold at this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris, in what was to be an all-powerful showdown against teammate Kipchoge, the 39-year-old two-time defending champion.
Kelvin Kiptum, world marathon record holder, dies at 24
Raila Odinga, Prime Minister of Kenya from 2008 to 2013, wrote on coach, died tragically tonight in an accident.
‘My deepest condolences to his loved ones, friends and the entire athletic fraternity. “Our nation mourns the profound loss of a true hero.”