NAIROBI, Kenya —Marathon world record-holder Kelvin Kiptum and his coach died in a car crash in Kenya late Sunday, a fellow athlete who went to the hospital and saw Kiptum’s body said.
Kiptum was 24 and on course to be a superstar of long-distance running.
Kiptum and his Rwandan coach Gervais Hakizimana were killed in the crash at around 11 p.m., said Kenyan runner Milcah Chemos, who was at the hospital where the bodies were taken.
Kiptum was the first man to run the marathon in under 2 hours, 1 minute. He set the new world record of 2:00.35 at the Chicago Marathon in October, beating the mark of fellow Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge by 34 seconds.
Kiptum’s record was ratified by international track federation World Athletics last week.
The crash happened on a road between the towns of Eldoret and Kaptagat in western Kenya, she said, in the heart of the high-altitude region that’s renowned as a training base for long-distance runners.
Chemos said she was among a group of athletes who had gone to the hospital in Eldoret after hearing the news of the crash. Family members of Kiptum were also with them to identify his body, Chemos said.
Kenyan media reported that a third person, a woman, was in the car and was taken to the same hospital with serious injuries.
Kelvin Kiptum celebrates his Chicago Marathon world record victory, 2:00:35, with Bank of America Chicago Marathon Executive Race Director Carey Pinkowski in Chicago’s Grant Park on Oct. 8, 2023.
His record-setting mark in Chicago was the first time the men’s world record for fastest marathon fell at that race since 1999. With perfect weather conditions, an ultra-in-form athlete, a fast course and an encouraging crowd, the Oct. 8 marathon seemed a perfect setup to break new barriers, race experts told the Tribune at the time.
Social media video showed Kiptum receiving a hero’s welcome in Kenya after his race in Chicago. The throngs of people greeting him at the airport hoisted him onto their shoulders and bounced him to music. He wore a wreath.
Kiptum was eyeing history in 2024 to be the first person to run an official marathon in under two hours.
Kenyan athletics federation president Jackson Tuwei said he had sent a team of officials to the area after being informed of the late-night accident.
Kiptum had immediate success by running the fastest time ever by a marathon debutant at the 2022 Valencia Marathon. He won the London and Chicago races last year, two of the most prestigious marathons in the world.
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe was one of the first to offer his condolences in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.
“We are shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the devastating loss of Kelvin Kiptum and his coach, Gervais Hakizimana,” Coe wrote. “On behalf of all World Athletics we send our deepest condolences to their families, friends, teammates and the Kenyan nation.”
“It was only earlier this week in Chicago, the place where Kelvin set his extraordinary marathon World Record, that I was able to officially ratify his historic time. An incredible athlete leaving an incredible legacy, we will miss him dearly,” Coe wrote.
