Kenya: Hundreds of Mourners Attend Kiptum`s Funeral

Sudan Events – Sumaya Sayed

Marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum, whose dreams of breaking the race’s two-hour barrier were ended by a fatal car crash this month, has been remembered for his talent and humility at a funeral in western Kenya.

The service on Friday in his hometown, the Rift Valley village of Chepkorio, was attended by hundreds of mourners, including political and sporting dignitaries like President William Ruto and World Athletics President Sebastian Coe.

The 24-year-old died in a car crash in his native Kenya on February 11, with his coach, Rwanda’s Gervais Hakizimana, 37, also killed in the road accident near Kaptagat, an area in the south-west of the country renowned as a training base for distance runners.

The news has rocked the athletics world, with World Athletics president Seb Coe leading the tributes to Kiptum earlier this month, saying he was ‘an incredible athlete leaving an incredible legacy’.