Former Sports CS Amina Mohamed has eulogised the late World marathon record holder Kelvin Kiptum as a disciplined and talented athlete after the 24-year-old passed away on Sunday night following a tragic road accident.
The former CS said she had interacted with Kiptum during his training sessions and described him as a national gem who will be missed dearly.
“I remember the many times I interacted with Kelvin during his training and participation in various events. Kelvin stood out as a talented, unstoppable, dignified, disciplined, and focused athlete. We will miss him and his superior performance," she noted.
She said the nation and the entire world had lost a young athlete who showed much potential at such a young age.
“It is with deep shock and sadness that I have learned of the passing of world marathon record holder Kelvin Kiptum at the tender age of 24. Kenya has lost a great athlete, full of potential and with incredible promise,” she stated.
She added: “His career path was almost unprecedented, achieving global acknowledgment and recognition, which will now regrettably not come to full actualization. The world was waiting for his next competition with unabated breath and received this terrible news with total disbelief and dismay.”
Amina conveyed her deepest condolences to the family of Kiptum as well as the athletics World. "I convey my sincere condolences to his family, friends, relatives and the entire athletics fraternity. May his soul rest in peace,” she added.
Kiptum died alongside his Rwandese coach, Gervais Hakizimana following the tragic accident.
Kiptum broke the world record in 2023 during the Chicago Marathon, where he clocked 2:00.35, slicing 34 seconds off the former record held by two-time Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge.
This saw him become the only person in history to run the marathon in under two hours and one minute in a record-eligible race.
Before his tragic demise, Kiptum was scheduled to take part in the Rotterdam Marathon in the Netherlands, where he had targeted to break his record and become the first person in history to run a marathon in under two hours.
