Kelvin Kiptum of Kenya celebrates winning the 2023 Chicago Marathon Pro Men's Division and setting a marathon world record of 2:00:35 at Grant Park in Chicago on October 8, 2023.
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Kelvin Kiptum of Kenya celebrates winning the 2023 Chicago Marathon Pro Men's Division and setting a marathon world record of 2:00:35 at Grant Park in Chicago on October 8, 2023.
Michael Reeves/Getty Images
Sports governing body World Athletics announced on Sunday that Kelvin Kiptum, the fastest marathoner in history, died in a car accident in his native Kenya. He was 24 years old.
Kiptam shocked the running world last year by completing the Chicago Marathon in 2 hours and 35 seconds. World Athletics recognized his historic time just last week.
It was also the first time that an athlete ran a marathon under 2 hours and 1 minute.
Kiptam died in the accident along with his coach Gervais Hakizimana.
“We are shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the devastating deaths of Kelvin Kiptum and his coach, Gervais Hakizimana,” World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said in a statement.
“He was an incredible athlete who accomplished an incredible amount of work and we will all miss him dearly,” Coe added.
Kiptum's record-setting in Chicago broke the record held by fellow Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge, who completed the 2022 Berlin Marathon in 2:01:09.
After last year's race, Kiptum said, “I knew I was coming for the world record, not the course record. I'm very happy.'' “I wasn't thinking about world records today, but I knew that someday I would become a world record holder.”
The superstar racer is scheduled to run the Rotterdam Marathon in April and has hinted that he will also try to break the two-hour barrier during the race.
According to Olympic.com, Kiptum left behind his wife Asenat Rotich and two children.
