World record holder passes away in a car accident at age of 24

By Alimat Aliyeva

Kenyan marathon runner Kelvin Kiptum died in a car accident at the age of 24, Azernews reports, citing foreign media outlets.

It is reported that the car driven by Kiptum was involved in an accident on Sunday evening. In addition to the athlete, there were two other passengers in the car. One of them, Kiptum coach Gervais Hakizimana, was also killed. The second passenger, a girl, was taken to the hospital with injuries.

Kiptum was scheduled to take part in the Rotterdam Marathon on April 14. He was also included in the Kenyan national team for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

In 2023, Kiptum won two races in a number of the largest marathons on the planet – London and Chicago. In total, this series includes six races – in London, Berlin, Tokyo, New York, Boston and Chicago. Last year, on October 8, he gained a world record at the Chicago Marathon, covering a distance of 42 kilometers and 195 meters in 2 hours and 35 seconds.