Kelvin Kiptum Road Accident: Hundreds Mourn Kenya Native's Car Crash Death

Hundreds of people showed up to mourn the death of Kenya native and marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum following his untimely demise in a car crash in his home country nearly two weeks ago.

The mourners gathered to pay their respects to the late 24-year-old Kenya native as his body was taken to his home village for burial. The marathon athlete lost his life in a car crash alongside his coach, Rwanda's Gervais Hakizimana. The incident occurred near Kaptagat, an area in the southwest of the nation that is renowned as a training base for distance runners.

Kelvin Kiptum Burial

(Photo : Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Late marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum is set to be buried in his home town in Kenya as hundreds of mourners paid their respects to the athlete following an unfortunate road accident.

The news of Kiptum's death shocked the sports world and prompted World Athletics President Seb Coe to say that the marathon runner was "an incredible athlete leaving an incredible legacy." Kiptum's death also came just five days after World Athletics ratified his world record time of 2:00.35, which he was able to set when he won the Chicago Marathon.

Kiptum, who is married and is a father of two children, is set to be buried at his home in the village of Chepkorio on Friday. The late marathon runner's coffin was carried in a hearse through the streets of western Kenya as mourners watched on, saying hymns and paying their respects, as per the Daily Mail.

The deceased's father, Samson Cheruiyot also called for an investigation to look into the circumstances surrounding his son's death. Now, after a police autopsy, answers were provided to the family on Thursday.

According to MARCA, a pathologist for the Government of Kenya, Johansen Oduor, revealed that the marathon runner suffered "serious head injuries" as well as "injuries to the lungs." The medical professional explained that Kiptum also had serious skull fractures that occurred primarily at the base of his skull.

The doctor also claimed that he found some fractures in Kiptum's ribs on both sides and injuries in his lungs. Oduor said that samples were taken for additional analysis due to the circumstances of Kiptum's death still being investigated.

Unfortunate Road Accident

When he was alive, the marathon runner made a breakthrough last year as a rival to compatriot Eliud Kipchoge, who is considered to be one of the greatest marathon runners of all time. The former beat the latter's record, clocking 26.2 miles in two hours and 35 seconds in October last year, according to BBC.

The two runners had been named Kenya's provisional marathon team for the Paris Olympics which is scheduled for later this year. In a social media post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Kipchoge said that the man who broke his record was a rising star who had a "whole life" ahead of him to achieve "incredible greatness."

Kenyan President William Ruto also paid his respect during Kiptum's burial, describing the marathon runner as an extraordinary sportsman who left a mark on the world. On the other hand, Hakizimana was a runner who trained for years in Kenya, which is where he met Kiptum in Chepkorio.

When he was barely a teen a decade ago, Kiptum herded goats and sheep and then started to follow Hakizimana and other runners as they trained. By 2019, the late athlete had already run two half-marathons in two weeks, said France24.