Kenyan marathon world record holder, Kiptum, dies in road accident

The men’s marathon world record holder, Kenya’s Kelvin Kiptum, 24, has died in a road accident in his home country.

He was killed alongside his coach, Rwanda’s Gervais Hakizimana, in a car on a road in western Kenya on Sunday.

Kiptum made a breakthrough in 2023 as a rival to compatriot Eliud Kipchoge – one of the greatest marathon runners.

Kiptum bettered Kipchoge’s record, clocking 26.2 miles (42km) in two hours and 35 seconds in Chicago last October.

The two athletes had been named in Kenya’s provisional marathon team for the Paris Olympics later this year.

Kipchoge said on X that the man who broke his record was a rising star who had “a whole life” ahead of him to achieve “incredible greatness”, offering condolences to his family.

Also paying tribute, Kenya’s President William Ruto described Kiptum as an extraordinary sportsman who had left a mark on the world.

The road accident happened at about 23:00 local time (20:00 GMT) on Sunday.

Giving details of the crash, police said Kiptum was driving and had “lost control [of the vehicle] and veered off-road entering into a ditch on his left side”.

“He drove in the ditch for about 60 metres before hitting a big tree,” a police statement said.

Kiptum and Hakizimana died at the site of a collision. A third person – a young woman – was seriously injured and taken to hospital for treatment.

Kiptum’s team had announced that he would attempt to run the marathon in under two hours in Rotterdam in April – a feat that has never been achieved in open competition.

The rise to fame for the father-of-two had been rapid – he only competed in his first full marathon in 2022.

He made an instant impact as he ran the then-fourth fastest time on record (2:01:53) to win the Valencia Marathon before setting a course record of 2:01:25 at the London Marathon in April 2023.

Kiptum’s coach, Hakizimana, 36, was a retired Rwandese runner.