Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum, marathon world file holder, dies at 24 | EUROtoday
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Lhe marathon world mourns its king this Sunday, February 11. Kelvin Kiptum, world file holder on this occasion and favourite for the Olympic title on the Paris Olympics this summer season, died in a street accident in central Kenya. He was 24 years outdated.
“The accident happened around 11 p.m. [21 h, heure française]. The car had three occupants. Two died on the spot while one was taken to hospital,” Elgeyo Marakwet County Police Commander Peter Mulinge instructed reporters, confirming that “both [morts] are Kiptum and his trainer”, Gervais Hakizimana. “It was Kiptum who was driving towards Eldoret,” he added, including that he had misplaced management of the car. “A female passenger was injured and was rushed to hospital,” he mentioned.
“Kelvin Kiptum and his trainer Gervais Hakizimana died in a terrible car accident while returning to training camp,” detailed his agent, former Belgian athlete Marc Corstjens, asserting the “sad news” on Instagram. .
Extraordinary potential
Kelvin Kiptum had a serious efficiency final October. During the Chicago marathon, he broke the world file (2 h 00 min and 35 sec) by beating that of his compatriot Eliud Kipchoge by 34 seconds. It was then solely his third marathon. The younger athlete had gained the earlier two, in Valencia in 2022 and in London in 2023.
After attaining this primary objective, he set himself one other. The Kenyan needed to turn into the primary man to run an official marathon below the symbolic two-hour mark. The assembly was set for April 14, in Rotterdam.
A bathe of tributes
“We are shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the death of Kelvin Kiptum and his coach, Gervais Hakizimana,” reacted the president of the worldwide athletics federation, Sebastian Coe, welcoming in a press launch “an extraordinary athlete who leaves a extraordinary legacy.” “We will miss him,” he concluded.
“It’s a huge loss,” mentioned Kenyan double Olympic 800m champion (2012, 2016) David Rudisha, saying he was “shocked and deeply saddened” in a message on the social community X.
The Kenyan athletics federation additionally expressed its “deep sadness”, and the organizing firm of the six main marathons (Boston, New York, Chicago, Berlin, London, Tokyo) mentioned it was “devastated by the news”. in messages on X.
https://www.lepoint.fr/sport/le-kenyan-kelvin-kiptum-recordman-du-monde-de-marathon-est-mort-a-24-ans-12-02-2024-2552147_26.php