Kenyan athlete Kelvin Kipturn, recognized as one of the world's best distance runners and currently holding the top position in the men's marathon rankings, tragically passed away on Sunday, February 12, due to a car accident in the Rift Valley town of Eldoret, Kenya.
The 24-year-old athlete was driving a Toyota Premio alongside his coach, Gervais Hakizimana, both of whom tragically lost their lives at the crash site. A third occupant, identified as a 24-year-old woman named Sharon Chepkurui Kosgei Keiyo, managed to survive the accident but sustained severe injuries.
"[Kiptum] lost control, veered off the road, entered into a ditch 60 meters away and hit a big tree," Elgeyo Marakwet County Police Commander Peter Mulinge reported.
Several notable figures mourned the untimely loss of the highly-promising athlete.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said in a statement that they are "shocked and deeply saddened" to learn about the devastating loss.
"On behalf of all World Athletics, we send our deepest condolences to their families, friends, teammates, and the Kenyan nation," he added.
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Kelvin Kiptum's incredible achievements
Kiptum achieved a massive feat by becoming the first person in history to complete a marathon in under two hours and one minute in a record-eligible race. This achievement took place during the Chicago Marathon on October 8, 2023, where he set a new world record with a time of two hours and 35 seconds.
Kiptum demonstrated remarkable progress by shattering his best time by 50 seconds, as well as surpassing the previous record of 2:01:09 set by fellow Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge, widely acknowledged by many as the greatest marathoner of all time.
The Chepkorio native was often seen as the heir apparent to Kipchoge, with many considering him a potential contender to break the elusive barrier of running a marathon in under 2 hours.
In addition to holding the world record, Kiptum recorded three of the seven fastest marathons in history, and he had aspirations of making his Olympic debut at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, scheduled for July.
"An athlete who had a whole life ahead of him to achieve incredible greatness. May I offer my deepest condolences to his young family," Kipchoge said on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
Kelvin Kiptum's family
Kiptum was survived by his wife, Asenath Cheruiyot, and two children, Caleb and Precious, aged seven and four, respectively. He is also leaving an irreplaceable void in the world of distance running.
Cheruiyot mentioned that they had plans to travel together to Rotterdam for the marathon scheduled in the Dutch city in April, where Kiptum had set a goal to complete the race in less than two hours. She appealed to the Kenyan government for assistance in caring for their children.
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