February 20, (THEWILL) – The funeral for beloved Kenyan marathon runner, Kelvin Kiptum, who tragically died in a car accident earlier this month, has been rescheduled to take place this Friday, February 23, according to an announcement from Athletics Kenya.
Kiptum smashed the marathon world record just months ago and was expected to contend for Olympic gold in Paris. His sudden death at only 24 years old has shocked the athletics community both in Kenya and globally. Officials originally stated the funeral would occur on February 24 but have now moved it up by one day due to President William Ruto’s availability to attend the state event.
The ceremony will be held in Kiptum’s hometown of Chepkorio Village in Elgeyo Marakwet county. His coach, Gervais Hakizimana, also perished in the February 11 late night car crash, which occurred near Eldoret, a renowned high-altitude marathon training location in western Kenya. A female passenger onboard sustained injuries.
In his tragically short career, Kiptum competed in only three marathons but recorded three of the seven fastest times ever, including smashing the previous record by 34 seconds in Chicago last October with a jaw-dropping 2:01:01. He was expected to battle legendary Eliud Kipchoge for the first time at the upcoming Paris Olympics. As Kipchoge posted, honouring Kiptum’s legacy will now be top of mind.
Kiptum is the latest among numerous Kenyan athletic stars to lose their lives prematurely in recent years. Lawmakers have called for improved support and safety measures to protect the country’s uniquely gifted runners.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
