Here is all you need to know about age 36 Gervais Hakizimana
According to Kenyan authorities, the current world record holder for marathons Kelvin Kiptum and his coach Gervais Hakizimana perished in a car crash on Sunday night outside the town of Eldoret in the Rift Valley.
Who is coach Gervais Hakizimana who died alongside Kelvin Kiptum in road car accident, bio, age and death reason
I’m so sad to hear the passing of Kelvin Kiptum and his coach, Gervais Hakizimana. Kelvin was an amazingly talented athlete and had already achieved so much. He truly had a special talent and I have no doubt he would have gone on to have had an incredible career. I send all my… pic.twitter.com/bNXJA1FgBL
— Sir Mo Farah (@Mo_Farah) February 12, 2024
The 23-year-old Kiptum was travelling to Eldoret in a Toyota Premio with two passengers: his coach Hakizimana and a woman known as Sharon Kosgey. As per a report in the New Times outlet, the athlete and his coach were transported to the hospital mortuary, while Sharon, who had suffered severe injuries, was airlifted to Racecourse Hospital for emergency care.
World marathon record holder Kelvin Kiptum and his coach Gervais Hakizimana have died in a car crash in western Kenya, police say.
The 24-year-old was driving from Kaptaget to Eldoret in western Kenya when the car rolled.
Kiptum ran a world record 2:00:35 in the Chicago… pic.twitter.com/TTOl00Jx13
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) February 12, 2024
Kiptum achieved instant success at the 2022 Valencia Marathon when he ran the quickest time ever for a marathon rookie. He triumphed in two of the world’s most renowned marathons the following year: the Chicago and London races. He has run three of the seven fastest marathon times ever set while still relatively young and fresh to the circuit.
Considering everything he had accomplished in a little time together, news of him and his coach passing shocked Kenya and beyond. The two had a close relationship that lasted until his death, ending what looked to be a prosperous sporting career. They had become inseparable friends while the world marathon record holder was still young. Here is all you need to know about Gervais Hakizimana.
Who was Gervais Hakizimana?
Gervais Hakizimana was the coach of world marathon record holder Kelvin Kiptum. The 37-year-old, an expert in long distance racing, was a former athlete and was born in the Northern Province of Rwanda. He was 36 years old born on September 5, 1987, in Nyaruguru, Rewanda and died on 11th February 2024 in Kapsabet, Kenya.
Gervais Hakizimana’s career
In order to prepare for the 2007 World Cross Country Championship, which was held in Mombasa, Hakizimana travelled to Kenya for the first time in 2006, when he was eighteen.
He holds the men’s 3000m steeplechase national record for Rwanda and has won several events in France, including the 2012 Pezenas National Meet and the 2010 Lons-Le-Saunier 10km race. In 2019, while still a youngster, Kiptum made his debut internationally by placing fifth in the Lisbon Half Marathon with a time of 59:54.
🚨💔 INKURU Y’AKABABARO !
Umunyaduhigo mugusiganwa kumaguru, umunya Kenya 🇰🇪 Kabuhariwe muri Marathon Kelvin Kiptum n’umutoza we , Umunyarwanda HAKIZIMANA Gervais uvuka I Nyaruguru bitabye Imana muri iri joro bazize impanuka y’imodoka.
Kelvin Kiptum w’imyaka 24 gusa,… pic.twitter.com/5DxaHoEHG2
— Lorenzo MUSANGAMFURA (@ogalorenzo) February 11, 2024
Following that, in the 2020 Valencia Half Marathon, he recorded a half-marathon personal best of 58:42. From 2019 to 2021, he regularly broke the 60-minute mark in similar races.
Gervais Hakizimana’s wife
Hakizimana is survived by his wife Joan Chelimo and two children.