from Wanjiru’s strange death when he fell from a balcony to the sexist violence against Kirop

Ten years ago Kelvin Kiptumtragically died this Sunday at the age of 24, was considered the heir Eliud Kipchogenew prince of marathon, this position had a different title: Sammy Wanjiru. Wiry and lean, no one ran so easily, at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 he won gold by levitating, but his life was cut short too early: in 2011, also at the age of 24, he was found dead under the balcony of his apartment. What’s happened? This is not clear even today.

According to the police investigation, Wanjiru, who suffered from alcoholism, was in bed with his lover. Jane Ndutawaitress in a nearby bar when his wife Teresa Njeri, entered the family home. He caught them, they had a fight, and then tragedy happened. The court’s decision concluded that Njeri locked the athlete and his mistress in a room and unsuccessfully tried to escape through the balcony. Wanjiru’s mother, on the other hand, has been claiming for years that Njeri threw her son to the pavement. In any case, Wanjiru died and joined a long list of Kenyan athletics stars who have died suddenly before retiring. Kiptum’s car accident this Sunday was, in fact, just the latest chapter of this black legend.

Abuse of Kirop

Many years ago, in 1995, for example, Paul Kipkoech, winner of gold in the 10,000 meters at the 1987 World Championships, died at the age of 33 due to cerebral malaria complicated by tuberculosis. And in 2001 there was another case, Richard Chelimo, world record holder in the 10,000 meters and silver at the 1991 Tokyo World Championships, retired from the sport at the age of 29 due to a brain tumor. There are other lesser known examples such as Benson Masyaworld champion in the half marathon, died aged 33 in 2003 of unknown causes, and his streak of bad luck has accelerated in recent months.

Shortly before Kiptum, in 2018, he died at the age of 28 in another road accident. Nicholas Bettgold in the 400m hurdles at the World Championships in Beijing 2015. And just a couple of years ago, at the end of 2021, Agnes Kirop, a two-time world medalist in the 10,000 meters, was killed at the age of 25. She was found dead in her home with multiple stab wounds to the neck, and her husband, who was also her trainer, confessed to the crime. An investigation by Swedish public radio revealed several months later that his agent Gianni Demadonnaone of the most respected, knew about the violent situation Tirop was facing and did not report it.

Kiptum Lifestyle

Even today, the police are still trying to figure out what happened, as was the case with the recent accident in Kiptum. According to a report from the Elgeyo Marakwet District Police Station, the reasons for his misfortune are unknown as there were no irregularities or flaws in the race. The world marathon record holder was driving his Toyota Premio back from Eldoret and, before reaching his village of Chepkorio, flew off the highway, crashed into a tree and ended up in a ditch. Both he and his coach are Rwandan Gervais Hakizimanawho was the co-pilot, was killed instantly, and a 24-year-old woman, Sharon Kosgei, who was sitting in the back seat, was hospitalized with serious injuries.

Having broken the marathon world record just four months ago in Chicago (his mark stands at 2:00:35), Kiptum was preparing to break it at the Rotterdam Marathon in April and for a generational duel with Kipchoge at the Paris Olympics in August. Back in his region, Keio South, from a pastoral family, an apprentice electrician, success did not force the marathon runner to change his lifestyle, he just kept adding kilometers and more kilometers. In fact, it was so long that it surprised experts: the number of weeks was as high as 300, whereas current standards limit the maximum number of weeks to around 220 or 230 to avoid injury.

Kiptum was called upon to become the first person to complete the 42.195 kilometer distance in less than two hours, and he was the representative of the new athletics, the technological athletics, the athletics of the future. Thanks to a technique perfectly adapted to carbon shoes, his limit was impossible to measure until the tragedy that occurred the day before yesterday. Now his achievements will remain, like those of many deceased champions who are part of the black legend of athletics in Kenya.

Having broken the marathon world record just four months ago in Chicago (his mark stands at 2:00:35), Kiptum was preparing to break it at the Rotterdam Marathon in April and for a generational duel with Kipchoge at the Paris Olympics in August. Back in his region, Keio South, from a pastoral family, an apprentice electrician, success did not force the marathon runner to change his lifestyle, he just kept adding kilometers and more kilometers. Now his achievements will remain, like those of many deceased champions who are part of the black legend of athletics in Kenya.