Within less than a year of his marathon debut, he had run three of the seven fastest marathon times ever recorded.
FILE – Kelvin Kiptum of Kenya celebrates his Chicago Marathon world record victory in Chicago’s Grant Park on Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023. NAIROBI, Kenya — Marathon world record-holder Kelvin Kiptum, who was set to be a superstar of long-distance running, was killed along with his coach in a car crash Sunday in Kenya.
Bob Beckwith dies at 91; retired firefighter was famed for photo with George W. Bush after 9/11 Kiptum was 24. The world record he set last year at the Chicago Marathon was ratified just last week by international track federation World Athletics. Kiptum, who was from Kenya, and his coach Gervais Hakizimana, from Rwanda, were killed in the crash at around 11 p.m. Another Kenyan athlete, Milcah Chemos, confirmed their deaths to the Associated Press. The crash happened on a road between the towns of Eldoret and Kaptagat in western Kenya, Chemos said, in the heart of the high-altitude region that’s renowned as a training base for distance runners. She said she went to the hospital with other athletes and members of Kiptum’s family after hearing the news. The family members were there to identify Kiptum’s body. Kenyan media reported that only one car was involved in the crash and a third person, a woman, was also in the vehicle and was taken to the same hospital with serious injuries. Kiptum was the first man to run the marathon in under 2 hours, 1 minute in an official race when he set the world record of 2:00.35 in Chicago in October, beating the mark of fellow Kenyan and marathon great Eliud Kipchoge. He was due to compete at the Rotterdam Marathon in April, which would have been his first event since breaking the world record. World Athletics president Sebastian Coe was one of the first to offer his condolences in a statement on X, formerly Twitter. “We are shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the devastating loss of Kelvin Kiptum and his coach, Gervais Hakizimana,” Coe wrote. “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 Chicago, the place where Kelvin set his extraordinary marathon World Record, that I was able to officially ratify his historic time. An incredible athlete leaving an incredible legacy, we will miss him dearly,” Coe wrote. David Rudisha, Kenya’s two-time Olympic champion in the 800 meters, wrote on X that he was shocked and deeply saddened by the news.Kiptum had immediate success by running the fastest time ever by a marathon debutant — 2:01:53 — at the 2022 Valencia Marathon. The following year, he won the London and Chicago races, two of the most prestigious marathons in the world. While young and new to the circuit, he had already run three of the seven fastest marathon times ever recorded.David Lelei, an All-Africa Games silver medalist, died in a car crash in 2010. Marathon runner Francis Kiplagat was among five people who were killed in a crash in 2018. Nicholas Bett, who won gold in the 400 meters at the 2015 world championships, also died in a car crash in 2018.Ask Amy: My neighbor collapsed and we jumped into action. What happened afterward troubled me.Harry and Meghan’s reported Super Bowl appearance likely to fuel theories about Harry’s quick trip to see sick father Harry and Meghan's reported Super Bowl appearance likely to fuel theories about Harry's quick trip to see sick fatherBig San Jose regional shopping mall is slated to be sold by mid-yearDear Abby: My son wants me to stay home with their baby, but I have a job I likeMiss Manners: When the birthday child is less than charmingNYC reports lowest rental vacancy rate since 1960s amid ongoing housing crisis
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Copper World Mine lawsuit looks to put project on holdBlake Phillips, originally from St. Louis, Missouri, joined KGUN 9 as a multimedia journalist and reporter in October of 2023.
Read more »
Usher Announces 2 Dallas Concerts in OctoberUsher has no plans to slow down after headlining the Super Bowl halftime show: He just added tour dates to cities including Dallas.
Read more »
UN aid agency: Israel is holding up food for 1.1M Palestinians in GazaUNRWA operations have been threatened following Israeli accusations that some of its workers participated in Hamas's October 7 attack.
Read more »
Faculty reacts to ABOR financial oversight reportBlake Phillips, originally from St. Louis, Missouri, joined KGUN 9 as a multimedia journalist and reporter in October of 2023.
Read more »
Kelvin Kiptum, winner of the 2023 Chicago Marathon, dies in Kenya car crashKenyan runner Kelvin Kiptum, the winner of the 2023 Bank of America Chicago Marathon and London Marathon, was killed in a single-vehicle crash in Kenya,…
Read more »
Marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum and coach killed in road accident in KenyaCurrent marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum and his coach Gervais Hakizimana died in a road accident Sunday night outside the Rift Valley town of Eldoret, Kenyan police confirmed.
Read more »