Current:Home > MyKelvin Kiptum, 24-year-old marathon world-record holder, dies in car crash-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Kelvin Kiptum, 24-year-old marathon world-record holder, dies in car crash
View Date:2024-12-24 00:22:37
Kelvin Kiptum, the Kenyan runner who held the marathon world record set last year in Chicago, died Sunday night in a car crash in Kenya. He was 24.
World Athletics issued a release Sunday night confirming his death.
“An incredible athlete leaving an incredible legacy, we will miss him dearly," said World Athletics President Sebastian Coe in a statement.
Nation Africa reported Kiptum was driving a Toyota Premio in the accident that also killed his Rwandan coach Gervais Hakizimana, according to Elgeyo Marakwet Police Commander Peter Mulinge. The accident occurred at 11 p.m. (local time) Sunday.
Mulinge told the news outlet that Kiptum lost control of the vehicle, veered off the road and hit a tree. Kiptum and Hakizimana died at the scene and another passenger was taken to a hospital.
Kenyan runner Milcah Chemos confirmed Kiptum's death to the Associated Press, saying she had gone to the hospital in Eldoret after hearing news of the crash. Chemos said the crash occurred between the towns of Eldoret and Kaptagat in western Kenya.
Kiptum ran a blistering Chicago Marathon in 2 hours, 35 seconds on October 8, 2023, knocking 34 seconds off the world record. He won the 26.2-mile race by almost three and a half minutes, dropping his compatriot Daniel Mateiko after the 30-kilometer mark. It was just the third marathon of his career.
In April 2023, he won the London Marathon in 2:01:25, which at the time was the second-fastest marathon in the record books and a course record.
Kiptum started running at age 13 and followed local marathon runners on the trails and roads. In 2018, at age 18 he won the Eldoret Half Marathon and made his international debut the following year, running 59:54 to finish fifth at the Lisbon Half Marathon.
His marathon debut came in Valencia in 2022, where he broke away after 30K and finished in a course-record time of 2:01:53, the fastest debut in history. At the time, only Eliud Kipchoge and Kenenisa Bekele had run faster marathons.
veryGood! (56245)
Related
- Avril Lavigne’s Ex Mod Sun Is Dating Love Is Blind Star Brittany Wisniewski, Debuts Romance With a Kiss
- Get Deals on Calista Hair Stylers, 60% Off Lilly Pulitzer, Extra Discounts on Madewell Sale Items & More
- What does a DEI ban mean on a college campus? Here's how it's affecting Texas students.
- Boeing’s CEO got compensation worth nearly $33 million last year but lost a $3 million bonus
- Too Hot to Handle’s Francesca Farago Gives Birth, Welcomes Twins With Jesse Sullivan
- Christian Combs, Diddy's son, accused of sexual assault in new lawsuit: Reports
- Storms, floods cause 1 death, knock down tombstones at West Virginia cemetery
- The Cutest (and Comfiest) Festival Footwear to Wear To Coachella and Stagecoach
- Pedro Pascal's Sister Lux Pascal Debuts Daring Slit on Red Carpet at Gladiator II Premiere
- Madonna asks judge to toss lawsuit over late concert start time: Fans got just what they paid for
Ranking
- Cold case arrest: Florida man being held in decades-old Massachusetts double murder
- Small plane clips 2 vehicles as it lands on North Carolina highway, but no injuries are reported
- 4.8 magnitude earthquake rattles NYC, New Jersey: Live updates
- Hunting for your first home? Here are the best U.S. cities for first-time buyers.
- Voyager 2 is the only craft to visit Uranus. Its findings may have misled us for 40 years.
- Why women's March Madness feels more entertaining than men's NCAA Tournament
- 4.8 magnitude earthquake rattles NYC, New Jersey: Live updates
- Mercedes workers at an Alabama plant call for union representation vote
Recommendation
-
Opinion: Chris Wallace leaves CNN to go 'where the action' is. Why it matters
-
Colt Ford 'in stable but critical condition' after suffering heart attack post-performance
-
Luke Fleurs, South African soccer star and Olympian, killed in hijacking at gas station
-
Hyper-sexual zombie cicadas that are infected with sexually transmitted fungus expected to emerge this year
-
Sports are a must-have for many girls who grow up to be leaders
-
Johnson & Johnson to buy Shockwave Medical in $13.1 billion deal to further combat heart disease
-
What's story behind NC State's ice cream tradition? How it started and what fans get wrong
-
One of the world's oldest books goes up for auction