The father of Kelvin Kiptum, the late marathon world record holder, is pushing for an investigation into his son’s death following claims that four unidentified individuals had come to look for his son days before the fatal car crash.
Kiptum, aged 24, passed away in a car accident in Kenya, alongside his coach Gervais Hakizimana from Rwanda. The incident occurred merely five days after World Athletics officially recognized Kiptum’s world record time of 2:00:35, achieved during his victory at the Chicago Marathon, as reported by Daily Mail.
Samson Cheruiyot, the father of Kiptum, has called for an investigation into the events leading to his son’s death. Speaking to Kenya’s Citizen TV, Cheruiyot revealed that a group of four individuals had come to look for Kiptum just four days before the fatal car accident.
“There are people who came home a while back who were looking for Kiptum but they refused to identify themselves,” Cheruiyot said. “I asked them to provide identification, but they opted to leave. It was a group of four people.”
He disclosed that he learned about his son’s tragic passing while watching the news. He recounted his last conversation with Kiptum, during which the 24-year-old expressed aspirations of breaking the sub-two-hour mark for the marathon and building a new home for the family.
Sharing his experience of going to the accident site, he said he got to the scene to find that the police had already transported Kiptum’s body to Eldoret, a city in Kenya. He recounted that Kiptum had expressed confidence in his physical fitness and ability to achieve a marathon time of 1:59.
“Kiptum was my only child. He has left me, his mom, and his kids. I have no other child. His mom was sick for a while. Right now I’m deeply saddened.”
Kiptum and his coach, Hakizimana, lost their lives in a tragic crash on Sunday in Kaptagat, a renowned training area for distance runners in southwest Kenya. Details of the incident emerged on Monday, revealing that a female passenger named Sharon Chepkemoi, 32, survived and was taken to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret.
According to Kenneth Kimaiyo, one of the first responders, Kiptum’s body was found beneath the vehicle, already deceased, while Hakizimana was found alive on a nearby hill. Reports indicate that Kiptum, a father of two and the son of an athlete, lost control of his vehicle and collided with a large tree in the Kaptagat area along the Eldama Ravine-Eldoret route.
Kiptum was returning from Eldoret in Uasin Gishu County when the accident occurred, according to Jackson Tuwei, President of Athletics Kenya. The vehicle veered off the road into a ditch before colliding with a large tree approximately 60 meters from the main road. Tuwei stated that the bodies were taken to the hospital for autopsy, which would commence after briefing the families and finalizing necessary agreements.
The accident took place at 8 pm GMT on Sunday, or 11 pm local time. The vehicle sustained extensive damage and was towed to a local police station for inspection and further police action.