Kelvin Kiptum, marathon world record holder, dies in car crash

World record holder in marathon, Kelvim Kiptumdied along with his coach, Gervais Hakizimana, in a traffic accident on the road in Kenya on which they were both driving.

According to police chief Elgeyo Marakwet, the fatal accident that claimed the lives of Kiptum and his coach occurred around 11:00 pm (Kenya local time). Peter Mulinge, who also reported that the Toyota Premio car, An athlete was driving. They followed a route through the Rift Valley connecting the cities Kaptagat And Eldoret, the athlete’s birthplace. This part of Kenya is a favorite training ground for Kenyan long-distance runners.

Name Kiptum has already entered the history books after setting a stratospheric marathon record. Chicago. The Kenyan stopped the clock at 2.00.35, setting a new world record.

When he was just 24 years old, the athletics world pointed to him as a prime candidate to break the two-hour barrier in the legendary 42-kilometre race. This record was confirmed by World Athletics five days before his death, on 6 February.

Kiptum was the heir Kipchogeanother great marathon runner, from whom he took the world record and managed to run under two hours in a kind of simulation, the Ineos project in Vienna’s Prater Park, in 2019. Kipchoge it reached 1.59.40.