The men's marathon world record holder, Kenya's Kelvin Kiptum, 24, has died in a road accident in his home country. He was killed alongside his coach, Rwanda's Gervais Hakizimana, in a car on a road in western Kenya on Sunday. Kiptum made a breakthrough in 2023 as a rival to compatriot Eliud Kipchoge - one of the greatest marathon runners. Kiptum bettered Kipchoge's record, clocking the 26.2 miles (42km) in two hours and 35 seconds in Chicago last October. The two athletes had been named in Kenya's provisional marathon team for the Paris Olympics later this year. Kipchoge said on X that the man who broke his record was a rising star who had 'a whole life' ahead of him to achieve 'incredible greatness', offering condolences to his family. Also paying tribute, Kenya's President William Ruto described Kiptum as an extraordinary sportsman who had left a mark on the world. The road accident happened at about 23:00 local time (20:00 GMT) on Sunday. Giving details of the crash, police said Kiptum was driving and had 'lost control [of the vehicle] and veered off-road entering into a ditch on his left side'. 'He drove in the ditch for about 60 metres before hitting a big tree,' a police statement said. Kiptum and Hakizimana died at the site of a collision. A third person - a young woman - was seriously injured and taken to hospital for treatment. Source: Ghana News Agency
Related Posts
Tema Newtown’s Festivals of death
As the 2024 closed fishing season commences on July 1, Tema Newtown shivers with uncomfortable memories of deaths and injuries associated with the previous 2023 closed season.
The closed season, instituted as part of measures to curb the depletion of…
CSOs ask government to commit funding to vaccination in 2024
Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Health have asked the government to prioritise funding for vaccines and childhood immunisations in the 2024 budget. They said the commitment was necessary to forestall the shortage of vaccines as experienced in pr…
WAPCo resumes gas delivery at Tema facility after system glitch
The West African Gas Pipeline Company Limited (WAPCo) has resumed gas delivery at its Regulating and Metering Station at Tema in the Greater Accra Region after a system shut down.
A statement signed by Dr Isaac Adjei Doku, WAPCo General Manager, Corp…