Marathon record holder Kelvin Kiptum dies in car crash

Kelvin Kiptum, the fastest man to ever finish a marathon race, was killed Sunday in a car crash in Kenya, the international track federation World Athletics announced. He was 24 years old.

Kiptum set his blazing 2:00:35 record time at the Chicago Marathon in October. He was the first person to ever finish a record-eligible marathon under 2 hours, 1 minute.

His running coach, Gervais Hakizimana, was also killed in the crash, which occurred just before 11:00 p.m. local time in western Kenya, AFP reported.

Kiptum was one of the sport’s most exciting and promising prospects, World Athletics said. He won the federation’s 2023 World Athlete of the Year award.

“We are shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the devastating loss of Kelvin Kiptum and his coach, Gervais Hakizimana,” World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said in a statement.

“On behalf of all World Athletics, we send our deepest condolences to their families, friends, teammates and the Kenyan nation,” he continued. “An incredible athlete leaving an incredible legacy, we will miss him dearly.”

Former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga mourned the loss on X, formerly Twitter, dubbing Kiptum a “true hero” of the country.

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