CS Namwamba in Eldoret, Views Body of Athlete Kelvin Kiptum

Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba flew to Eldoret and viewed the body of athlete Kelvin Kiptum and his coach who died in a road accident on Sunday night. 

Kiptum, 24, was the men’s marathon world record holder and he was killed alongside his coach, Rwanda’s Gervais Hakizimana, in a car on a road in Kaptagat, Elgeyo Marakwet County.

Kiptum made a breakthrough in 2023 as a rival to compatriot Eliud Kipchoge – one of the greatest marathon runners.

Kiptum bettered Kipchoge’s record, clocking the 26.2 miles (42km) in two hours and 35 seconds in Chicago last October.

The two athletes had been named in Kenya’s provisional marathon team for the Paris Olympics later this year.

Namwamba was overwhelmed with emotions after viewing the bodies.

“Kenya and the world have lost a valuable person in Kelvin Kiptum,” said Namwamba.

Namwamba was accompanied with Athletics Kenya (AK) President Jack Tuwei and Principal Secretary for Sports Peter Tum along with father to the athlete Samson Cheruiyot.

He described the athlete as having been a pillar to his family and said the government would stand then at this difficult time.

Read: World Marathon Record Holder Kelvin Kiptum Dies in Tragic Accident

“It’s amazing how he burst into the world of athletics through self training and self motivation. He never lived in training camps but largely motivated himself,” said the CS.

The road accident happened at about 11 pm on Sunday.

Police said Kiptum was driving and had “lost control [of the vehicle] and veered off-road entering into a ditch on his left side”.

“He drove in the ditch for about 60 metres before hitting a big tree,” police said.

Kiptum and Hakizimana died at the site of a collision. A third person – a young woman – was seriously injured and taken to hospital for treatment.

Just last week, Kiptum’s team announced that he would attempt to run the marathon in under two hours in Rotterdam in April – a feat that has never been achieved in open competition.

The rise to fame for the father-of-two had been rapid – he only competed in his first full marathon in 2022.

He made an instant impact as he ran the then fourth fastest time on record (2:01:53) to win the Valencia Marathon before setting a course record of 2:01:25 at the London Marathon in April 2023.

Six months later, in just his third marathon, Kiptum took 34 seconds off the world record time in Chicago in his final race.

He had already honed a distinct tactical approach that saw him run with the pack for 30km before upping the pace and going out on his own for the remainder of the race.

Kiptum entered his first major competition in 2018, running in borrowed shoes because he could not afford a pair of his own.

He was among a new crop of Kenyan athletes who began their careers on the road, breaking away from the past tradition of athletes starting on the track before switching to longer distances.

Kiptum’s coach, Hakizimana, 36, was a retired Rwandese runner. Last year, he spent months helping Kiptum target the world record.

Their relationship as coach and athlete began in 2018, but the pair first met when the world record holder was much younger.