Renowned marathon record holder Kelvin Kiptum has recently passed away, find out more about him and his cause of death below along with his net worth
Kelvin Kiptum was a young and upcoming marathon champion who had already won several competitions and broken several marathon records.
Marathon runner Kelvin Kiptum dies in road accident, cause of death reason, net worth, bio, age, height, wife and world record
Incredibly shocking & saddening news that superstar Kenyan runner Kelvin Kiptum, who recently smashed the world marathon record, was tipped to break 2hr barrier, & due for epic Paris Olympics showdown with Eliud Kipchoge, has been killed in a car crash aged just 24. RIP. pic.twitter.com/VxZRhKwVLX
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) February 12, 2024
In memory of Kelvin Kiptum, relive the moment he broke Eliud Kipchoge's marathon world record. 🏃♂️💨
In October last year, the Kenyan finished the Chicago marathon in 2:00:35, shaving over 30 seconds off Kipchoge's best effort. ⏱️ pic.twitter.com/mrsLOw6IwG
— Eurosport (@eurosport) February 12, 2024
Notably, Kelvin had just set an extraordinary marathon world record at the Chicago marathon earlier this week.
Kelvin Kiptum passes away
Sebastian Coe, who is the president of the World Athletics, confirmed the news about Kelvin’s death in a statement. In his statement, the World Athletics President shared:
We are shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the devastating loss of Kelvin Kiptum and his coach, Gervais Hakizimana. On behalf of all World Athletics, we send our deepest condolences to their families, friends, teammates, and the Kenyan nation.”
Cause of death
According to reports and statements, Kelvin Kiptum passed away following a tragic accident on Sunday, February 11, 2024, in Western Kenya. Kelvin was reportedly driving a Toyota Premio at the time of the accident, which also took the life of his coach, Gervis Hakizimana. Aside from the duo, there was also a third passenger in the car who miraculously survived the accident but remains seriously injured.
Kelvin Kiptum bio
Kelvin Kiptum was a renowned long-distance runner who was born on December 2, 1999, in Keiyo District, Kenya. He grew up in Chepsamo Village, Chepkorio, where he used to herd the family’s cattle as a teenage boy. Interestingly, Kelvin started off his journey as a marathon runner, running with other barefoot runners in the forests surrounding his village.
Notably, Kelvin was the only person in history to run the marathon under two hours and one minute and also holds the distinct record of running three of the seven fastest marathons in history. Following his death, his family, friends, and social media users have all come out to mourn his tragic death.
Age, height, and weight
Kelvin Kiptum was just 24 years old at the time of his passing and stood at a height of 1.8 m. He last weighed around 65 kg.
Kiptum is survived by his wife Asenath Rotich and their two children and Kiptum’s net worth stood at $500,000 (KSh 80.1 million, based on the current exchange rate).
Kelvin Kiptum career and achievements
Kelvin started out his journey of running marathons at the young age of 13, when he participated in a half marathon in Kenya. He managed to finish in 10th place during that race. Following this, he won his first marathon race in 2018 and participated in the Lisbon Half Marathon in 2019. During that race, he finished in fifth and established a new personal best record of 59:54. Most notably, Kelvin won the 2022 Valencia Marathon and then the 2022 London Marathon.
Apart from these, he also ran several half-marathons in Copenhagen and Belfort, where he recorded record timings of 60:48 and 59:53, respectively. Kelvin Kiptum also holds the record for becoming the first man to complete a 30 km mark in 59:45. Following this record, he managed to beat the reigning record holder, Geoffrey Kamworor. Kiptum had also just recently set a new marathon record of 2:00:35 during the Chicago Marathon, where he took 34 seconds off the reigning marathon runner’s record.