Kelvin Kiptum’s family says marathon record holder's death shattered their hopes and dreams
Kelvin Kiptum’s family says their dreams and future hopes have been shattered by the death of the marathon record holder in a car crash on Sunday
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kelvin Kiptum’s family said Monday their dreams and future hopes have been shattered following the death of marathon world-record holder in a car crash Sunday night.
Kiptum and his Rwandan coach, Gervais Hakizimana, were killed in the crash near the town of Kaptagat in western Kenya, in the heart of the high-altitude region that’s renowned as a training base for the best distance runners from Kenya and across the world.
Kiptum's father, Samson Cheruiyot, a farmer, said in an interview with regional network Citizen TV that he had lost his only child, one who had promised — a day before his death — to build him a house and buy him a car through running.
Kiptum's mother had complications following their son's birth and doctors advised against further pregnancies, Cheruiyot said in the interview. He recalled that in their last conversation Saturday night, Kiptum told him that he was at peak condition and felt he could run the upcoming Rotterdam Marathon in April in under two hours, predicting to bring down his record to 1:58-1:59.
