Kelvin Kiptum, marathon world record holder and shooting star of world athletics who died in a car accident on the night of Sunday to Monday, will be buried on February 24, an official of the Kenyan Sports Federation announced to AFP on Wednesday. ‘Athletics. “We set the date for February 24 after consultations with the family and the government on the funeral arrangements and the protocol adopted,” said Barnabas Korir, member of the Athletics Kenya executive committee.
The ceremony will take place in Chepsamo, the village in the Rift Valley (west) where the 24-year-old athlete and his family lived. “We expect high-ranking dignitaries to attend the funeral, including (Kenyan) President William Ruto and World Athletics President Sebastian Coe,” he said. added. The government has assured that it will cover the burial costs.
“In honor of the late Kenyan marathon world record holder, a true national hero, the government will support Kiptum’s family by bidding him a heroic and dignified farewell,” a government statement said on Wednesday. His performances, including his world record (2:00:35) established last October during the Chicago Marathon, “have inspired millions of people around the world,” he adds.
Kelvin Kiptum, a new phenomenon in Kenyan athletics, was to be one of the attractions of the Paris Olympic Games. He was killed in the night from Sunday to Monday after leaving the road in the locality of Kaptagat, in the Rift Valley, not far from his place of residence and training. His trainer Gervais Hakizimana, also on board, was killed instantly. Inspection of the damaged car revealed that it “was in good condition,” said Dahir Abdullahi, the police chief of Keiyo-South sub-county, where the accident took place, quoted by the daily The Nation.
