February 12, (THEWILL) – World marathon record holder and defending London Marathon champion, Kelvin Kiptum, has tragically died at the age of 24, following a devastating car accident in Kenya.
The fatal crash, which occurred along the Eldoret-Kaptagat road, also claimed the life of Kiptum’s coach, Gervais Hakizimana. Authorities have yet to provide further details surrounding the circumstances of the collision.
Tributes have flooded in from across the athletic world, with Kenyan President, William Ruto, leading the outpouring of grief. “Kelvin Kiptum was a star. Arguably one of the world’s finest sportsmen who broke barriers to secure a marathon record”, Ruto commented via a tweet.
Gideon Kimaiyo, Member of Parliament for Keiyo South, also confirmed the deaths, stating: “It is with heavy hearts that we learn of the passing of Kelvin Kiptum, the world marathon record holder, and his coach in a tragic accident. Kelvin was at the prime of his career, a legend in his own right. It’s a tough one to take.”
Kiptum etched his name in the record books last October when he ran the fastest-ever marathon time of 2 hours, 1 minute and 25 seconds to win the London Marathon. Just weeks ago, he smashed the men’s marathon world record with a blistering time of 2:35 at the Chicago Marathon. The astonishing feat was ratified by World Athletics days before his untimely death.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
