As the Olympic Games near, Kelvin Kiptum's death is becoming even more painful as the world ponders how the marathon star could have redefined the world of long-distance running.
The late Kelvin Kiptum was a sure bet to earn Kenya a medal, and in this case, probably gold, in the men’s marathon at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games coming later this year.
Unfortunately, the world marathon record holder lost his life in a tragic road accident in February and as the Olympics approach, the pain continues to be felt.
The 24-year-old was looking to break the two-hour barrier and he would certainly redefine the world of marathon running owing to the three marathons he had competed in, the Valencia Marathon, London Marathon and Chicago Marathon.
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Speaking to AFP, Athletics Kenya president Jack Tuwei noted that he was just an upcoming athlete whose death was devastating.
"He was a young man; he was just coming up; he was only 24; and he had just broken the world record. And so everybody was really devastated," said Tuwei.
"What was so sad was that everybody was looking to him to do well in the Olympics and maybe lower the marathon record below two hours.
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"Everybody was looking forward to having him in good shape so he could break another record. What we need to do now is to follow up and see how we can support the family."
Meanwhile, world 800m record holder David Rudisha also noted that the late Kiptum was a wonder and he was proof to the world that there was more to be achieved.
Rudisha termed Kiptum’s loss a huge blow to Kenya and the world of sports.
"Kelvin was such a wonderful athlete. He showed the world that there's still more that can be achieved. He was very impressive. He came up within a very short time. Nobody really knew him that much until he broke the world record,” Rudisha said.
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