Kelvin Kiptum killed in car crash, tributes pour in for marathon world record-holder

Tributes poured in for running sensation Kelvin Kiptum after the marathon world record-holder was killed in a car crash at a young age of 24.

Kiptum’s death, just months before the Paris Olympics, has shocked Kenya and the world of athletics, with his rival, the legendary marathon runner Eliud Kipchoge saying he was “deeply saddened”.

Kiptum, a father of two, was driving from Kaptagat to Eldoret in the Rift Valley, the heartland of Kenyan distance running, when his car careered off the road and hit a tree.

Police said Kiptum and his Rwandan coach Gervais Hakizimana were killed on the spot while a woman passenger was injured.

“He lost control and veered off-road entering into a ditch on his left side. He drove in the ditch for about 60 metres before hitting a big tree,” said an official police report from Elgeyo Marakwet County where the accident occurred.

Images showed the mangled wreck of the vehicle, its windscreen shattered, the roof and doors buckled and almost ripped off.

From herding goats just a decade ago, Kiptum had announced he would attempt to become the first man to run an official marathon under the mythic two-hour mark.

He burst onto the marathon scene when he ran a world record 2:00:35 in Chicago in October, slicing 34 seconds off Kipchoge’s previous record.

He was just 23 at the time, and competing in only his third marathon.

Kiptum recorded three of the seven fastest marathon times in history.

‘A whole life ahead’

Kipchoge, regarded as one of the greatest marathoners of all time, described his younger rival as a “rising star”.

“An athlete who had a whole life ahead of him to achieve incredible greatness,” Kipchoge said on X.

Kiptum and 39-year-old Kipchoge were expected to face off for the first time at the Paris Olympics.

As the tributes flowed, mourners gathered at the family home in the Rift Valley village of Chepsamo, consoling his father Samson Cheruiyot and his wife Asenath Rotich.

Cheruiyot told local station Citizen TV that he last spoke to his only son on Saturday and that Kiptum had said “if he was to run, he could do it in one hour 59/58 minutes since his body was feeling fine”.

Kelvin Kiptum was a star. Arguably one of the world’s finest sportsmen who broke barriers to secure a marathon record.

He was only 24 yet, as a hero, triumphed in Valencia, Chicago, London and in other top competitions. His mental strength and discipline were unmatched. Kiptum… pic.twitter.com/Ff7nild1CG

— William Samoei Ruto, PhD (@WilliamsRuto) February 12, 2024

Kenyan President William Ruto described Kiptum as “one of the world’s finest sportsmen who broke barriers to secure a marathon record”.

“An extraordinary sportsman has left an extraordinary mark in the globe,” he said on X.

World Athletics said Kiptum’s Valencia debut was the fastest in history and mourned the loss of “one of the most exciting new prospects to emerge in road running in recent years”.

We are shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the devastating loss of Kelvin Kiptum and his coach, Gervais Hakizimana.

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… pic.twitter.com/dDBKgjXNKL

— Seb Coe (@sebcoe) February 11, 2024

“An incredible athlete leaving an incredible legacy, we will miss him dearly,” said its president Sebastian Coe, who last week had been in Chicago to officially ratify Kiptum’s historic time.

Condolences to the family and friends of Kelvin Kiptum. You will be missed by all in the athletics community. Rest in Peace. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/hq9lsgXX8Z

— Faith Kipyegon, EGH