'We were expecting an Olympic medal': Athletics Kenya mourns tragic death of Kelvin Kiptum

The tragic death of Kelvin Kiptum has left a gaping wound in the world of athletics. This is especially true in his home country of Kenya, which is now mourning the loss of what could have been at the Paris Olympics.

Athletics Kenya president Jackson Tuwei spoke to Agence France-Presse (AFP) ahead of the Games, lamenting the loss of the talented young runner.

"He was a young man; he was just coming up; he was only 24; and he had just broken the world record. And so everybody was really devastated," Tuwei told AFP.

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Kiptum was one of the world's most promising marathon runners and tipped by many as the athlete to break the two-hour barrier, died after a serious traffic accident in his home country.

"What was so sad was that everybody was looking to him to do well in the Olympics and maybe lower the marathon record below two hours. Everybody was looking forward to having him in good shape so he could break another record. What we need to do now is to follow up and see how we can support the family," Tuwei added.

"It was really sad for Kenya, because when we have such athletes, who bring pride into our country, and especially in a year like this when he was at the top, we were expecting that he could win an Olympic medal. It was a great loss for Kenya and a great loss for sport."

According to Al Jazeera, Kiptum was traveling with his coach, Gervais Hakizimana, and wife Sharon Kosgei when they lost control of their vehicle. They veered off the road and crashed into a tree, killing Kiptum and his coach.

There is perhaps a more sinister aspect to the runner's death, however, as three men were arrested in the days following Kiptum's death and were believed to be connected with the accident. The arrests reportedly occurred on February 14 in Kaptagat, Elgeyo Marakwet County, where Kiptum was born.

According to the BBC, still not much is known about the arrests, but it has been reported that they were taken to the city of Iten after they entered police custody.

On February 11, Kiptum's father told the local press, later reported by The Sun, that "a few days ago some people were looking for Kiptum, but they refused to identify themselves. I asked them to identify themselves, but they left."

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Although the identities of the three people arrested have not been revealed, it seems clear that police will investigate all possible avenues in case there is more information to be uncovered.

Kiptum was considered one of the best athletes in the world. The Kenyan broke Eliud Kipchoge's world record in the 2023 Chicago marathon with a time of 2:00:35.

The Kenyan surprised everyone with his phenomenal time and made headlines worldwide. According to the Independent, many experts agreed that Kiptum was on the verge of completing a marathon in under two hours.

The Kenyan came painfully close in Chicago. However, he missed the coveted two-hour mark by a mere 35 seconds.

Kiptum was only 23 years old at the time and had only participated in three official marathons. Before his victory in Chicago, he won his debut race in Valencia in 2022 and in London in 2023.

On his debut in Valencia (2022), Kiptum clocked in at 2:01:53, less than two minutes away from the magical barrier he almost broke in Chicago.

After his death, World Athletics issued a press release calling the Kenyan "one of the most exciting new talents in recent years."

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"We are shocked and deeply saddened by the terrible loss of Kelvin Kiptum and his coach, Gervais Hakizimana," said World Athletics Federation President Sebastian Coe. "On behalf of all of World Athletics, we send our deepest condolences to their families, friends, teammates and Kenya."

Many Kenyan athletes took to social media with messages of condolence to pay tribute to their countrymen. Former Olympic champion David Rudisha wrote on X that he was "shocked and deeply saddened" by the news, adding that it is a "great loss".

Kiptum himself was always a big fan of Eliud Kipchoge. "When I was young, I saw Eliud training and I was like, 'Maybe one day I'll be like Kipchoge.' He was always a role model for us," Kiptum said after the Chicago Marathon.

Kiptum was born in the small Kenyan village of Chepkorio, about 40 kilometers from the town of Eldoret, considered "the mecca of Kenyan athletics". The athlete trained there under the guidance of 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 tending the goats and sheep." "That was in 2013 and I hadn't really started running yet," Kiptum said.

In 2016, at the age of 17, the Kenyan started participating in athletics more regularly and on a more professional basis. That year, he won half marathons in Copenhagen (Denmark) and Belfort (France).

Kiptum trained extremely hard, according to Hakizimana, covering "an average of 250 kilometers per week... and sometimes more than 300".

The Kenyan athlete had his sights set on the Paris Olympics and was the big favorite for gold. Earlier in 2024, he said: "My thoughts are on Paris 2024. It is my dream, I have always had a great ambition to participate in the Games and I hope I get the opportunity to represent my country."

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