Eliud Kipchoge paid a sweet tribute to the late marathon record holder Kelvin Kiptum on Friday.
Kiptum died last month alongside his coach when his car crashed into a tree. Kipchoge is prepared to run in the Tokyo Marathon on Sunday, his first race since Kiptum died.
Kiptum died months after smashing Kipchoge's world record, and the two were set to compete for the first time at this year's Paris Olympics.
Kipchoge, 39, stated it was "unfortunate that he left here".
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"His career was in high spirits and he was really running on a high level," he told reporters.
Kiptum participated in only three marathons, yet he won all of them and set three of the seven fastest times in history.
The father of two was traveling in the Rift Valley, the hub of Kenyan distance running, when his car veered off the road.
According to police, Kiptum and his Rwandan coach, Gervais Hakizimana, were killed on the scene, while a female passenger was injured.
Kipchoge stated that this year's Olympic marathon would be "a little bit different" without Kiptum on the tracks.
"There were high expectations," said Kipchoge, who won Olympic gold in Rio in 2016 and again five years later at the Tokyo Games.
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