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Hundreds honour athletics prodigy Kelvin Kiptum in Eldoret funeral procession

Athlete Kelvin Kiptum's coffin is pictured in a hearse in Eldoret town, Uasin Gishu County, on February 22, 2024, during a funeral procession in his honour. (Photo: X)

By Eastleigh Voice Reporter | 22 Feb 2024

Kiptum's coffin was carried in a hearse through the streets of Eldoret town with some people singing and others holding burning candles.

A huge crowd gathered in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County, on Thursday in a funeral procession for Kenyan athlete Kelvin Kiptum, who has been eulogised as a splendid athlete who has left an indelible legacy.

The people taking part in the procession were either on foot, on motorcycles or in cars. They took an 80km journey to Kiptum's home ahead of his funeral on Friday, February 22, 2024.

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Kiptum's coffin was carried in a hearse through the streets of Eldoret town with some people singing and others holding burning candles.

Among those who joined the procession was Athletics Kenya executive committee member Barnaba Korir.

"It is difficult to accept this happened. It is a big void in Kenyan athletics," Korir said.

Local sports official Purity Koima said Kiptum was loved by everyone.

"We lost so many athletes here in Iten but Kiptum's death has hit everyone hard," she said.

Cleric Philip Chumo said, "We have to accept that Kiptum is no longer with us. He is here in spirit."

Faith Kipyegon, a middle and long-distance runner who holds the world records in the 1,500m, 5,000m and one-mile races, was also present.

VIDEO: Relatives and friends of Kenyan marathon world record-holder Kelvin Kiptum grieve after he was killed in a car crash at the age of 24 pic.twitter.com/DtbL1Q0l9X
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) February 13, 2024

Kiptum, 24, and his coach Gervais Hakizimana, 36, both died on the night of February 11, 2024, as he drove from Kaptagat to Eldoret around 11 pm.

A police report said the father of two had lost control of the car and veered into a ditch before hitting a tree. The two were killed on the spot while a woman passenger was injured.

A postmortem by Chief Government Pathologist Johansen Oduor found that Kiptum died from severe head injuries.

The married father of two will be buried at his home in Chepkorio on Friday. The state funeral was pushed forward from Saturday to accommodate President William Ruto's schedule.

Athletics Kenya announced the change via X on Tuesday, saying its offices will be closed on Thursday and Friday in the athlete's honour.

Marathon World Record holder Kelvin Kiptum. (Photo: World Athletics)

Kiptum burst onto the marathon scene in 2022 and shattered the world record in Chicago in October last year. He ran in a time of two hours 35 seconds, slicing 34 seconds off the previous fastest time, set by his Kenyan rival, the marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge.

The young athlete had competed in only three marathons and recorded three of the all-time fastest seven times for the event.

The Kenyan Cabinet and National Assembly have, on separate occasions, paid tribute to the star, with several lawmakers calling for a full investigation into the crash and better protection of the nation's athletes.

The government said that to honour the "true national hero" it would support his family in giving him a befitting heroic farewell.

The Cabinet further acknowledged the Sports ministry's interventions to better protect the country’s sporting icons and urged all road users to uphold traffic laws and practice safe road use.

Additional reporting by AFP