World Marathon Record holder Kelvin Kiptum passed away on Sunday, February 11, 2024, due to injuries he suffered in a car accident. The world is in mourning.
A rising star, Samson Cheruiyot's only child, put Kenya on the map in October 2023 when he ran a marathon at 2:00:35.
Cheruiyot, devastated by his son's passing and the children he left behind, has asked the Kenyan government to look into the marathoner's death.
"I got the news of my son's death while I was watching the news. I went to the scene of the accident but the police had taken the body to Eldoret," Cheruiyot recalls.
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Speaking to Citizen TV, Kiptum's father said he had last talked with him on Saturday, where the marathoner assured him more medals and a better future.
"He told me someone will come and help us build a house. He said that his body is now fit, and he can run for 1:59," Cheruiyot recalled his last conversation with his only son.
"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."
Cheruiyot claimed that unidentified individuals had recently visited his homestead in an attempt to find Kiptum, even as he demanded inquiries into the death.
"A while back, some folks returned home in search of Kiptum, but they would not give their names. They chose to depart when I asked them to show me their identification. It was a group of four people," he said, urging the government to step in and help the marathoner's kids with their education.
Kiptum, 24, and his Rwandese coach, Gervais Hakizimana, passed away around 11 p.m. on Sunday near the Elgeyo Marakwet-Ravine Road in the Kaptagat neighborhood of Elgeyo Marakwet County.
