Kelvin Kiptum's death has rocked the world of sport and even now, four days after the tragedy, many are wondering what exactly happened on Sunday night into Monday when the Kenyan runner and his coach collapsed after a car accident.
Kelvin Kiptum, an athlete with huge potential, passed away at just 24 years old
At one point, after some statements given by Samson Cheruyot, the marathoner's father, the idea that a criminal hand was behind the accident appeared. Specifically, under the influence of emotions, Samson Cheruyot told how, recently, four unknown men visited him, asking where his son was. Bringing up this strange episode, Kelvin's father even called for a police investigation. For now, however, no connection has been established between what Samson Cheruyot narrated and his son's fatal accident.
Instead, the Kenyan police investigation revealed another detail: excessive speed killed Kelvin Kiptum and his coach, Garvais Hakizimana (Rwanda, 36). A third passenger in the car, a Toyota Premio, escaped with minor injuries, although he was initially said to be in a serious condition. The woman, Sharon Kosgey, in the back seat was indeed taken to the hospital. At the present time, however, he suffers more from the emotional trauma he experienced.
This is what the car driven by Kelvin Kiptum looked like after the accident
They were in a hurry to see the African Cup final
Going back to the accident that took the car driven by Kiptum off the road, throwing it into a ditch, from where the vehicle was propelled into a tree, the cause was excessive speed. After examining the athlete's car, the police determined that it was in good condition and had no technical problem that could have caused the fatal accident. Instead, it was learned that the passengers in the car were in a hurry to get to Chepkorio, a Kenyan village near the Eldoret training base where Kiptum was training.
According to those close to him, Kelvin and his coach had seen the Aston Villa – Manchester United match (1-2) at the training base. As an hour and a half after the end of this game, the final of the African Cup of Nations was scheduled, Nigeria – Ivory Coast (1-2), the two wanted to see this second match of the day, together with some friends, at Chepkorio, at 38 kilometers away from Eldoret. Incidentally, Kiptum, in the last telephone conversation he had with his wife, Asenath Rotich, had told her that he would call her during the break of the final. A phone call that never came. Instead, the woman awoke from her sleep when her mother-in-law began pounding frantically on her bedroom door.
“Initially we were told there was an incident and Kelvin and his trainer were mugged on the road. It wasn't until we got to the hospital that we were told what actually happened“said the runner's wife.
He had had a headache all day
Continuing the dialogue with journalists, Asenath Rotich revealed that on Sunday, the day of the fatal accident, Kelvin had been having headaches throughout the day.
“He was supposed to come home and we should all go out with the kids, but he told me on the phone that he didn't feel well and that he had a headache. He was training way too hard in preparation for the Rotterdam Marathon on April 14, because he had set himself the goal of finishing the race in under 2 hours. I actually warned him, several times, that he was overtraining and that he would be exhausted come race time. I kept begging him to at least take Sundays off, but I couldn't convince him“, Kiptum's wife told.
2 minutes
and 51 seconds is the average pace at which Kelvin Kiptum covered each kilometer during the Chicago Marathon.
Kelvin Kiptum, the world record holder in the marathon event
Kelvin Kiptum's times in the marathon event
*2023 (Chicago): 2 hours and 35 seconds*
*2023 (London): 2 hours, 1 minute and 25 seconds
*2022 (Valencia): 2 hours, 1 minute and 53 seconds
*current world record
