Kenya’s world marathon record-holder Kelvin Kiptum’s funeral will be place on February 24, according to an athletics official. The government has promised a “heroic farewell”.
Kiptum will be buried at his family home in Chepsamo near Eldoret, the hub of Kenyan distance running in the country’s west, Athletics Kenya executive committee member Barnabas Korir confirmed to AFP.
“We have settled on February 24 following consultations with the family and the government, which has taken over all funeral arrangements and protocol,” Korir said a day after visiting the mourning family.
Kiptum, a 24-year-old father of two, was murdered when the car he was driving went into a ditch and collided with a tree in the Eldoret area on Sunday night.
His Rwandan coach, Gervais Hakizimana, also perished in the crash, and a female passenger was injured.
Kiptum’s death, just four months after breaking the world marathon record, stunned Kenya and the athletics community.
“We expect some high dignitaries to attend the burial including President William Ruto and the head of World Athletics Seb Coe,” Korir said in a statement.
He also stated that the government would cover the funeral costs.
‘Sporting powerhouse’
“In honour of Kenya’s departed world marathon record holder, a true national hero, the Government will support Kiptum’s family in giving him a befitting heroic farewell,” Kenya’s cabinet said in a statement on Wednesday.
“Kiptum was a sporting powerhouse whose record-breaking accomplishments inspired millions around the world.” He is still the only human in history to complete a marathon in sub two hours and one minute.
Kiptum broke the world record in Chicago last October, shaving 34 seconds off the previous best time established by his Kenyan opponent, Eliud Kipchoge.
The teenage athlete had only run three marathons and set three of the event’s all-time fastest seven times.
He was the favourite to win gold at the Paris Olympics, when he was scheduled to face off against Kipchoge for the first time.
Athletics trials cancelled
Athletics Kenya also announced the cancellation of trials for the African Games, which were scheduled for this Friday and Saturday “in honour of the late Kelvin Kiptum”.
It stated that the selection process for the Kenyan squad to compete at the Games in Ghana’s capital, Accra, next month will take place on an unspecified date.
Kiptum has received numerous tributes, with Coe referring to him as “an incredible athlete leaving an incredible legacy”.
Kiptum was the latest in a string of Kenyan athletes to die in recent years, prompting MPs on Tuesday to demand support and protection for the country’s sporting potential.
The cabinet stated that it had taken note of the sports ministry’s “interventions” to improve athlete protections, but provided no further specifics.
It also advised drivers to obey traffic laws and practice safe driving to avoid “tragedies such as the one that robbed Kenya and the world of Kelvin Kiptum”.
According to National Transport and Safety Authority estimates, the number of individuals injured in road accidents in Kenya increased by roughly 5% last year, to 22,885, with 4,324 fatalities.
Between the beginning of January this year and February 11, there were 563 recorded road deaths, an increase of about 5% over the same period last year.