NAIROBI, Kenya: The funeral of Kenyan marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum, who died in a car crash this month, has been moved to Friday, the country’s athletics federation has announced.
Kiptum’s death, just months after breaking the marathon world record and ahead of the Paris Olympics, shocked his home country and the world of athletics.
“Kelvin will be laid to rest on Friday, February 23, 2024 at his home in Chepkorio Village, Elgeyo Marakwet,” Athletics Kenya said in a statement Tuesday.
Last week, officials said he would be buried on February 24, with the government promising the young marathon star a “hero’s farewell”.
A Kenyan athletics official told media on Tuesday that the funeral would be a “state function” with President William Ruto in attendance and had been pushed back a day due to his schedule.
Kiptum, a 24-year-old father of two, died on the night of February 11 in a car accident near his home in Eldoret, a high-altitude training center in the Rift Valley in western Kenya.
His Rwandan coach Gervais Hakizimana also died in the accident while one passenger was injured.
The young athlete competed in only three marathons and recorded the three fastest times of all time seven times.
Kiptum ran the Chicago Marathon in October in two hours and 35 seconds, beating his Kenyan rival Eliud Kipchoge’s previous record by 34 seconds.
He was the favorite to win gold at the Paris Olympics, where he was expected to face Kipchoge for the first time.
“The only way to honor my brother Kiptum is to win the Olympic marathon in 2024 and bring home the victory,” Kipchoge wrote on X last week.
Kiptum was the latest in a string of Kenyan athletes to lose their lives in recent years, prompting lawmakers to call for better support and protection for the country’s sporting talent.
