The running world is mourning the loss of a legend.
Kelvin Kiptum, the marathon world-record holder, died in a car crash along with his coach Gervais Hakizimana Feb. 11 in his native Kenya. He was 24.
“We are shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the devastating loss,” World Athletics president Sebastian Coe wrote in a Feb. 11 statement on X, formerly Twitter. “On behalf of all World Athletics we send our deepest condolences to their families, friends, teammates and the Kenyan nation.”
The single-car crash that killed the long-distance runner and his coach, who was 36, occurred at around 11 p.m. local time between the towns of Eldoret and Kaptagat in western Kenya, according to NBC News. The car, which contained Kiptum, Hakizimana and an unidentified woman, reportedly veered off the road into a ditch and hit a tree. The third passenger in the vehicle was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.
