"We lost Wanjiru at 25 and now Kiptum at 24; Had a whole world ahead of him" - Tributes pour in for Kelvin Kiptum after passing away in road accident
Fans are mourning the passing away of Kelvin Kiptum, the men's marathon world record holder, who was killed in a tragic road accident with his coach Gervais Hakizimana in western Kenya on Sunday.
Kiptum has made his mark as the superstar of long-distance running. In October 2023, he set the new world record of 2:00.35 at the Chicago Marathon, emerging as the first man to run the long-distance foot race in under two hours and one minute.
A Wayne Kerr said on X (formerly Twitter):
"We lost Wanjiru at 25 and now Kiptum at 24."
Hana Gebresilassie, a journalist and media communications consultant, expressed shock at Kiptum's sudden and tragic death. He described the demise as "truly heartbreaking".
"This is shocking & truly heartbreaking. He was a rare talent & had a whole world ahead of him, too young to die! May his soul rest in eternal peace & condolences to the global athletics family."
Chris Chavez, founder of Citius Mag, tweeted that he was praying for the news to be false when he saw the first read about it.
"Gone way too soon. Kenya lost Sammy Wanjiru at 24 years old as well.
Double Olympic gold medalist Sebastian Coe, who is also the President of the International Association of Athletics Federations, expressed shock and sadness. He said:
"We are shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the devastating loss of Kelvin Kiptum and his coach Gervais Hakizimana."
Coe shared that he was officially able to ratify Kiptum's extraordinary marathon World Record in Chicago.
"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."
He also dubbed Kiptum as an "incredible athlete."
Kelvin Kiptum was preparing to run the Rotterdam Marathon in April
Kiptum, the world record holder, was to start his season at the Rotterdam Marathon in April. This would have been his first event since breaking the world record in Chicago last year.
Kiptum had told Gazzetta dello Sport that he was keen on the Rotterdam Marathon. He said:
"It's already known, the Rotterdam Marathon on April 14. I would like to grow further, and so, inevitably, break the barrier."
The athlete had mentioned he was to run the marathon in 2022 but opted out because of an injury.
"In 2022 I was supposed to run it, to make my debut but a slight injury stopped me. This will be the right time."