Kelvin Kiptum, the marathon world record holder, died on February 11, 2024 following a car accident in Kenya.
The 24-year-old, who won the London Marathon in April before setting the world record in Chicago in October, was reported by police to have lost control of the vehicle while driving in Kaptagat, in south-west Kenya, at 11:00 p.m. His coach, Gervais Hakizimana, who also died in the crash, and a third person were also in the car.
The county’s local commander, Peter Mulinge, told the Nation newspaper that Kiptum lost control of his vehicle and hit a tree before landing in a ditch. “This was an accident in which a certain Kelvin Kiptum, the marathon world record holder, was driving his vehicle with two passengers”. Kiptum and Hakizimana died at the scene, while the third person was rushed to Racecourse Hospital in Eldoret.
Kelvin Kiptum was only 23 years old when he broke the marathon world record last year wearing the Nike Alphafly 3. Just last week, Kiptum’s world record of 2 hours and 35 seconds (which beat Eliud Kipchoge’s record, set in a pair of Nike Alphafly 2, by 34 seconds) was ratified by World Athletics.
Kiptum was the only person in history to run a marathon in under two hours and one minute in an eligible race. He ran three of the seven fastest marathons in history. He had also recently announced that he intended to become the first athlete to run an official marathon in under two hours, in Rotterdam, in April.
Product Images
Vlad Ciutacu is a writer based in The Hague, Netherlands. He has been working in the footwear industry for more than a decade, with hundreds of pairs in his collection. His favourite models are the Air Jordan 1 and the Nike SB Dunk Low Pro. Find him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
