A terrible tragedy. World record holder in marathon died in a car accident

Yesterday, on the 11th of February, the life of the 24-year-old marathon world record holder, Kelvin Kiptum, was tragically cut short.

The fatal traffic accident occurred in Western Kenya late in the evening. The vehicle, driven by Kiptum, veered off the road and collided with a tree at considerable speed. In addition to Kiptum, his coach, Gervais Hakizimana, also lost his life in the car crash.

The woman who was also in the car has been hospitalized with numerous injuries.

On the 8th of October last year, Kelvin Kiptum set a new global record in the marathon distance. In Chicago, he covered 42 kilometers and 195 meters in 2 hours and 35 seconds. The previous record (2 hours, 1 minute, and 9 seconds) belonged to another Kenyan, Eliud Kipchoge.

Kiptum had set the ambitious goal of becoming the first person to complete a marathon in under 2 hours. He had plans to participate in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.