Kelvin Kiptum's father calls for an investigation into the death of his son

Kenyan athlete Kelvin Kiptum, one of the most unique marathon prospects in the world, has died at 25 following a serious car crash in Western Kenya on Sunday 11 February 2024.

According to Al Jazeera, Kiptum was traveling with his coach and Sharon Kosgei when he lost control of the car. The car went off the road and slammed against a tree, which caused the death of Kiptum and his coach — a sad loss for sports fans around the world.

Kiptum's father, Samson Cheruiyot, has publically requested an investigation into the death of his son as he believes his death may not be an accident.

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According to Sport, Samson Cheruiyot was approached by some mysterious unidentified men who were wondering the whereabouts of his son. Furthermore, Cheruiyot found out about his son's passing through the press, after authorities failed to inform him of the incident.

"There were some people who came a few days ago looking for Kiptum, but they refused to identify themselves. I asked them to present me with some identification, but they chose to leave," shared Cheruiyot during an interview with local media.

"I got the news of my son's death while watching the news. I went to the accident site but the Police had taken the body to Eldoret," Cheruiyot recalled during the interview.

The governor of Uasin Gishu (where the incident occurred), Jonathan Bii, also joined the plea for a formal investigation. "We are deeply saddened by the loss of Kiptum and we call on the Police to speed up investigations so we can find out what caused the accident, Bii told local reporters.

Kiptum shattered all records in 2023 after beating Eliud Kipchoge's time in the Chicago marathon. Young Kiptum registered a whooping 2:00:35 finish.

The runner surprised everyone with his remarkable finish. According to Spanish publication Marca, many experts in the field felt Kiptum was the chosen one to run a marathon in under two hours!

Kiptum came so close to surpassing that two-hour mark in a complicated route, lasting 42 km and 195 meters. Nevertheless, his 2:00:35 mark is considered a remarkable athletic achievement.

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He was just 23 at the time of the world record, competing in only his third official marathon. Before Chicago, the Kenyan athlete won his debut in Valencia in 2022 and in London the following year.

During his debut run in Valencia (2022), the Kenyan athlete registered a 2:01:53 finish, just two minutes short of the sacred two-hour mark.

2023 saw two victories in the coveted London and Chicago marathons, making him a clear favorite for the rest of the season. He seemed unstoppable. World Athletics issued a statement remembering the Kenyan athlete as "one of the most exciting new prospects to emerge in road running in recent years".

"We are shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the devasting loss of Kelvin Kiptum and his coach, Gervais Hakizimana. On behalf of all World Athletics, we send out deepest condolences to their families, friends, and teammates, and the Kenya nation," shared World Athletics President, Sebastian Coe.

Many Kenyan athletes have come out on social media to pay their respects to the young prodigy. David Rudisha, the former Olympic champion, said he was "shocked and deeply saddened by the news. This is a huge loss," he posted on X.

"When I was little I watched Kipchoge train and he told me, 'one day I will be like Eliud.' He was an example for us. I knew that at some point I would be the fastest in the world, although I admit that I didn't think it would be this time," he said after his race in Chicago.

Curiously, Kiptum achieved his record using the same model of shoes that Kipchoge used for his last victory in the city of Berlin, the NikeDev163, a prototype of the American brand approved by World Athletics.

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Kiptum comes from a small town in Kenya called Chepkorio, about 40 kilometers from the city of Eldoret, considered “the mecca of Kenyan athletics” and where the athlete himself was trained by former Rwandan runner Gervais Hakizimana.

According to The Independent, "Gervais Hakizimana did hill sessions in the forest near his house. He [Kiptum] was small, but he followed us, barefoot, after taking care of the goats and sheep." Kiptum would later add: “That was in 2013 and I hadn’t really started running yet.”

It was from 2016, at the age of 17, when the Kenyan athlete began to practice athletics in a regular and more professional way, and it was then that he demonstrated the quality that he had in his legs by winning the half marathons in Copenhagen (Denmark) and Belfort (France).

Kiptum would train extremely hard, as Hakizimana commented, traveling “an average of 250 kilometers per week… or sometimes more than 300.”

The Kenyan athlete had his eyes set on Paris 2024, and he was a clear favorite for the gold medal. Earlier this year, Kiptum shared: “My mind is on Paris 2024. It is my dream, I always had a great aspiration to compete in the Games and I hope to have the opportunity to represent my country.”

A tragic loss for the world of sports, which sees another young prodigy taken away too soon. May he rest in peace.

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