Kelvin Kiptum: Kenyan Athletes Who Died in Their Prime As Marathon Record Holder Passes on

On February 12, many Kenyans woke up to the devastating news that marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum had passed away in a road accident.

Kiptum lost his life alongside his coach, Gervais Hakizimana, in Kaptagat, with the two dying on the spot. A third occupant of the car they were using was rushed to hospital.

His death came only five days after World Athletics had approved the time he posted at the Chicago Marathon in October last year. Kiptum became the first human being to run a marathon below 2 hours and 1 minute under normal conditions, clocking 2:00:35 to usurp the great Eliud Kipchoge as the fastest man in the 42-kilometre race.

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He only turned 24 years old in December and had been racing for one year before he met his death. His passing has robbed the country of a legend, a man many knew would redefine the story of marathon running worldwide.

Kenyan athletes who died in their prime

But sadly, for Kenyans, this all seems too familiar as another athlete died just when their career was taking off. Sports Brief takes a look at some of the most promising athletes who died in their prime.

1. Samuel Wanjiru - marathon

It feels like Deja vu. In 2011, 2008 Olympic champion Samuel Wanjiru died after he succumbed to injuries he sustained after he fell off his balcony in Nyahururu. He was the youngest athlete to win an Olympic gold medal since 1932.

Like Kiptum, Wanjiru passed on at age 24. His case remains unresolved many years after, with investigators failing to prove whether it was a case of suicide or murder. His wife, Triza Njeri, recorded statements with the Kenyan police.

2. Nicholas Bett - 400m hurdles

Nicholas Bett met his death in 2018 when he lost control of the car he was driving before it veered off the road, hit a bump and landed in a ditch. He died on the spot.

Bett made history in 2015 after he became the first Kenyan to win a gold medal at the World Athletics Championships in a race shorter than 800m. Kenya is known for its prowess in producing elite middle and long-distance runners, but Bett had changed the narrative and was poised to do more. He was 28 years old when he passed on.

3. Agnes Tirop - 10,000m

Agnes Tirop won back-to-back bronze medals in the 10,000m races at the World Athletics Championships in 2017 and 2019.

She was only 25 when she was found dead in her home at Elgeyo Marakwet with multiple stab wounds on the neck and abdomen. Her husband was arrested after days of police manhunt and was charged with the murder.

4. Richard Chelimo - 10,000m

Richard Chelimo was a world Junior champion before transitioning to the senior category, where he won silver at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. He also won silver and bronze at the 1991 and 1993 World Athletics Championships, respectively.

He also held the world record briefly for a week before fellow Kenyan Yobes Ondieki smashed it again. Chelimo died of a brain tumour at 29 years old in 2001.

5. Ian Mutuku - 400m

A 19-year-old Ian Mutuku checked himself into Machakos Level 5 Hospital in October 2016 with a swollen body and sadly never stepped out again.

He collapsed with efforts by the doctors to resuscitate him bearing no fruit, as reported by Citizen Digital. Mutuku had finished fourth at the 2013 Youth Championships in Ukraine and the Olympic Youth Games in 2014 and had been primed to make a successful senior athlete.

Who was Kelvin Kiptum

Sports Brief has reported that Kelvin Kiptum broke the world marathon record at the Chicago Marathon on October 23. His time of 2:00:35 was the first time a person ran the 42-kilometre race under 2 hours and one minute.

Kiptum had previously only raced twice before - at the Valencia marathon in December 2022 and the London Marathon in April 2023. All his times were among the six fastest marathon times ever recorded.