The Kenyan marathon world record holder was honored by hundreds of people in the streets of Eldoret, the epicenter of athletics in the African country.
Hundreds of people paid tribute to Kelvin KiptumKenyan world record holder marathon died in an accident 11 days ago, in a funeral procession through the streets of Eldoret. Between songs or in silence, the coffin surrounded by flowers of the great hope of Kenyan athletics circulated in a hearse through the streets of Eldoretepicenter of Kenyan athletics.
The coffin of Kiptum took direction to Itena town near Eldoret and famous training center for long-distance and middle-distance runners. Rising star of world athletics, Kelvin Kiptumwho died at the age of 24, will be buried on Friday at a state funeral, in the presence of the president William Rutowhich will take place in Chepsamo, a town in the Rift Valley where the athlete and his family lived.
“This is a big void in Kenyan athletics and it will take time to fill it,” he told the French agency. AFP the head of the youth program at the Kenyan Athletics Federation, Barnaba Korir. Paul Ouma, a shoeshine boy who left work to attend the funeral procession, confessed to the AFP that this loss is “very painful.” “We expected a lot from him,” she said.
Marathon lost a gem
Favorite for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Kelvin Kiptum died on the night of Sunday, February 11 to Monday, February 12, after a traffic accident in the town of Kaptagat, not far from his residence and his training place. His coach Gervais Hakizimana, who was on board the vehicle, also died. According to a medical examiner, Kelvin Kiptum, whose toxicology analysis is still ongoing, died from serious head injuries.
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Reuters
Considered a rising star in Kenyan and world athletics, Kelvin Kiptum had made a meteoric entry into the world of marathons by winning in his third official race, in Chicago last October, the world record (2 h 00 min 35 seconds) held by the distance legend, his compatriot Eliud Kipchoge.
Source: Ambito
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