“Devastating! Kenya has lost a special gem. Without words,” said the Kenyan Sports Minister, Ababu Namwambaafter learning of the death of Kelvin Kiptum at 24 years old.
The death of Kiptum, world marathon record holder, leaves the rivalry that they will fight on the asphalt of Paris the Kenyan runner with his compatriot Eliud Kipchoge in the marathon Olympic Gamesan event that would have tuned millions of viewers across the planet with the double incentive of knowing who would win and who would make it in under two hours.
Kipchoge, the legend, the best marathon runner in history, against Kiptum, the promise and the fastest by far. Two styles, two different athletes, but the same passion and the same challenge, doing the kilometers and trying to get into the golden book of world athletes with two hours as a barrier.
In one of athletics’ star events, Kipchoge, a double Olympic champion, is looking to win his third gold in Paris. Now it will be easier for you. His main opponent, the young Kiptum, met his death on a road in between Eldoret and Sea turtle when he was driving a Toyota Premio with his coach, Gervais Hakizimanaalso died in the accident.
His death ended a short sports career. Kiptum, 24, has only run three marathons. Debuted in Valenciain December 2022, with the fastest time in history for a rookie in the race (2h.01:53) and then, in 2023, he first won the London with 2h01:25 and on October 8 he broke the world record for the distance with 2h00:35, usurping the previous record from Kipchoge.
“I have not received a personal message from Eliud Kipchoge but if I am selected to participate in the Paris Olympics, I am ready to run with him,” Kiptum told the Kenyan press a few days after winning in Chicago.
Kiptum’s emergence has re-opened the debate about whether Kipchoge can go on to win or whether the young Kenyan will be, on his own merits, his worthy successor. During this time Kipchoge was sending messages about his ambition to win Olympic gold for the third time in Paris. To do this, your roadmap stops at the marathon Tokyo in preparation. Kiptum planned Rotterdam, a marathon with less impact and prestige but very fast. Perfect to make another good score.
What is clear is that Kipchoge marked an era in world athletics and his figure is still present and highly respected on the international circuit. Kiptum burst onto the athletic scene as a rising talent with the qualities to mark another era.
“Kipchoge marked an era. The show he gave, everything he did and how he did it makes him an example for everyone. Kiptum has just arrived and may be the first to run under two hours, but ” I’ll stick with Kipchoge for his beauty, his knowledge of how to be, the way he deals with success and failure,” Yago Rojo, the Spanish half marathon champion and aspiring to be on the starting line, told EFE on February 6. of the Paris Olympic marathon .
On that very day, February 6, 2024, World Athletics officially ratified Kiptum’s 2h00:35 at the Chicago Marathon in 2023. A time etched in the minds of every athletics enthusiast. Another myth like Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekeletriple Olympic champion of 5,000 and 10,000 meters, double winner of the Berlin marathon and who, at 41 years old, has devoted all his efforts to being part of the historic picture of the Paris Olympic marathon as the culmination of his career.
That picture is no longer complete. February 11, 2024 will forever be recorded in the album of world athletics as a tragic date. The date on which Kiptum died left it unknown whether he would become the first person to go under two hours at the mythical distance of 42,195 meters.
Source: La Verdad

I’m Jason Root, a professional writer working with Today Times Live, the premier news website. I specialize in sports writing, covering the biggest stories in the world of athletics. With an eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, I provide engaging and informative articles that capture the key elements of any event or issue. My work has been featured on numerous respected websites and publications around the world.