Tributes pour in for marathon star Kelvin Kiptum

NAIROBI - Kenyan runner Kelvin Kiptum, who died aged 24 in a car crash on Sunday, blazed to athletics stardom when he seized the marathon world record in Chicago last October.

Born in the Rift Valley, the heartland of Kenyan distance running, Kiptum was barely a teenager when he began following elite athletes training in the high-altitude region. 

He burst onto the marathon scene in 2022 with a stunning debut in the 26.2-mile (42.195-km) distance in Valencia where he clocked 2hr 01min 53sec. 

World Athletics called it the "fastest debut marathon in history".

Less than a year later and racing only his third marathon, Kiptum shattered the world record in Chicago, becoming the first man to run under two hours and one minute in a record-eligible race.

Known for maintaining a gruelling training schedule that sometimes surpassed 300 kilometres a week, Kiptum had only recently announced he was hoping to smash the mythic two-hour mark in Rotterdam in April. 

"Kiptum was one of the most exciting new prospects to emerge in road running in recent years," World Athletics said in a statement after his death.

Initially self-taught, he was later coached by Rwandan athlete Gervais Hakizimana, who also died in Sunday night's crash. 

"He was small but would follow us, barefoot, after tending the goats and sheep. That was in 2013, he hadn't really started running yet," Hakizimana told AFP in October.

Kiptum's rapid rise to fame ended in sudden tragedy on Sunday night.

He was at the wheel driving from Kaptagat to Eldoret around 11pm when his car veered off the road and hit a tree, killing him and Hakizimana on the spot, according to police. 

A female passenger was hospitalised with serious injuries. 

Kenyan President William Ruto said Kiptum was "an extraordinary sportsman" who left a mark on the world.

"Arguably one of the world's finest sportsmen who broke barriers to secure a marathon record," he said on X, describing Kiptum as "our future".

Faith Kipyegon, world athlete of the year for women's track, posted a poignant reaction on X of three crying emojis.

His rival Kipchoge said he was "deeply saddened" by Kiptum's "tragic passing".

"An athlete who had a whole life ahead of him to achieve incredible greatness," the marathon legend said on X.