24-Year-Old Marathon World Record Holder Kelvin Kiptum Dies In Car Crash
posted by Breasia Williams | February 27, 2024 | In SportsThis month, the athletic world is mourning the loss of the 2023 Bank of America Chicago Marathon winner Kelvin Kiptum, according to the Washington Post.
On February 11, the 24-year-old long distance running superstar was killed in a single-vehicle crash in Kenya, just outside of the city Eldoret. Kiptum’s coach, Garvais Hakizimana was also killed in the crash, which took place around 11 p.m. Kiptum was driving his very own Toyota Premio when it veered off the road and into a ditch before hitting a tree.
A 24-year-old woman identified as Sharon Kosgey was also in the car. She suffered serious injuries and was rushed to a local hospital for medical treatment.
At 23 years old, Kiptum became the first person to run the marathon, a 26.2-mile foot race, in under two hours and one minute. He finished the Chicago marathon in October 2023, breaking the world record in a stellar time of 2:00.35. The record had previously belonged to two-time Olympic champion and Kiptum’s Kenyan counterpart, Eliud Kipchoge who ran 2:01.09 in the 2022 Berlin marathon.
In April 2023, Kiptum also won the London marathon in only his second marathon ever where he came close to the world record in a time of 2:01.25.
Kiptum and Kipchoge were expected to provide an exciting all-Kenyan battle for gold in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Kiptum’s season was set to begin this upcoming April with what would have been his first race since breaking the world record.
Word of Kiptum’s death traveled quickly through Kenya, as runners are the biggest icons in the country. His funeral was held on February 22, where hundreds of people gathered in Eldoret, where Kiptum was raised and trained, to honor the life of one of the most talented runners in Kenyan history.
Former Kenyan Prime Minister, Raila Odinga shared the news of Kiptum’s death on X, stating that the Kenyan nation is heavily grieving the loss of Kiptum, whom he notes as a “true hero.”
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