Marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum has died at the age of 24 after a car accident in western Kenya on Sunday. Kiptum’s coach, Gervais Hakizimana, also died in the accident.
Kelvin Kiptum, who was Kenyan, and his Rwandan coach Gervais Hakizimana were killed in the crash at around 11 p.m on 11 February 2024.
Another Kenyan athlete, Milcah Chemos, confirmed their deaths to The Associated Press. She was at the hospital mortuary where the bodies were taken and had seen Kiptum’s body, she said.
Chemos said she went to the hospital with other athletes and members of Kiptum’s family after hearing the news. The family members, which included Kiptum’s father, were there to identify his body.
Local police stated that Kiptum was the driver of a car which “lost control and rolled”, killing Kiptum and Hakizimana, and injuring a female passenger.
Who was Kelvin Kiptum?
Kelvin Kiptum was born on 2 December 1999. He grew up in Chepsamo village, Chepkorio — the high-altitude (~2600 m) area in picturesque Elgeyo-Marakwet County of Kenya’s Rift Valley.
It is located some 30 km east of Eldoret, on the southeastern border of the Kaptagat forest, and just near the edge of the meridional Elgeyo (Keiyo) escarpment to the east, which rapidly gives way to the lower Kerio Valley (800–1200 m).
Together with nearby counties of Kenya, the region is known as the birthplace of many renowned Kenyan runners and also as a mecca for foreign runners. As a young boy, he herded his family’s cattle and began following other barefoot runners along the forest trails. Kiptum started training around 2013, when he was 13 years old.
In 2013, at the age of 13, Kiptum participated in his first half marathon, the Family Bank Eldoret Half Marathon in his native Kenya, finishing 10th; he placed 12th the following year. In 2018, the teenager took his first victory, winning this race with a time of 62:01.
He was self-coached at the time. Kiptum then debuted on the international stage at the Lisbon Half Marathon, Portugal, in March 2019, finishing fifth with a new personal best of 59:54.
Kelvin Kiptum rose to fame when he became the first man to run the Chicago Marathon in under 2 hours and 1 minute. He set the record with a time of 2:00.35 in October 2023. Kiptum also won the London Marathon in April 2023.
A rising star in long-distance running, he was widely considered to be the successor to fellow Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge, who set the previous marathon record of 2:01:09 at the 2022 Berlin Marathon.
Kelvin Kiptum net worth
Kelvin Kiptum, the esteemed Kenyan long-distance runner, amassed not only accolades on the track but also a considerable fortune throughout his career.
As of 2024, Kelvin Kiptum’s net worth stood at approximately $500,000, firmly placing him within the realm of six-figure wealth.
His unparalleled success on the track has not only earned him accolades but also substantial financial rewards.
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