(USNewsBreak.com) – In 2023, Kelvin Kiptum set the world record for fastest marathon time. He completed the Chicago event in just over two hours, which meant he kept a grueling pace of running a mile every four minutes and 36 seconds. He had a bright future ahead of him, but sadly, he passed away recently.
Kiptum, 24, and his coach, Gervais Hakizimana, both of Kenya, were traveling in a vehicle between the towns of Kaptagat and Eldoret when they crashed. According to ESPN, Kiptum was the one behind the wheel when the car veered off the road into a ditch before colliding with a tree. Their car was the lone one involved in the accident. Another person in the vehicle, a woman, survived and was taken to the hospital with serious injuries. Both the runner and his coach died at the scene of the crash.
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 in Kenya late Sunday. https://t.co/FvCqscaoNE
— NBC News (@NBCNews) February 12, 2024
The athlete was relatively new to the running circuit but had already made quite an impact. When he participated in the 2022 Valencia Marathon, Kiptum ran the fastest time ever by a first-timer. He went on to win both the London and Chicago events in 2023 and was set to compete at Rotterdam next month. It was there he was challenged to break the two-hour barrier, having come so close in Chicago. Kiptum was also a strong contender to be an Olympic gold medalist this summer in Paris. He was dedicated to his craft, too, with his coach previously saying that they only “rest when he gets tired … All he does is run, eat, sleep.”
The reactions to Kiptum’s death were swift. Posting on X, formerly Twitter, Sebastian Coe, the World Athletics president, extended his condolences to the duo’s “families, friends, teammates and the Kenyan nation.” He said the runner was “An incredible athlete leaving an incredible legacy.” Coe was the one to ratify the athlete’s time in Chicago, a process of recognizing and approving a record officially.
Kiptum leaves behind his wife and two children.
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