By Humberto Viera
Feb 23, 2024, 11:22 AM EST
Kelvin Kiptum, the world record-holder marathon athlete who tragically died on February 11 in a traffic accident, was fired with an emotional funeral this Friday, in the presence of Kenyan President William Ruto and several prominent athletics figures.
At the funeral, which took place under a tent surrounded by flowers and on a red carpet, political and sports authorities came to pay tribute to him before his burial.
“In Kelvin we saw the future of athletics in Kenya. He stood out not only as a great athlete, but above all as a good person. He was ambitious, disciplined and focused,” said Ruto in Chepkorio, a town near the athlete’s hometown.
The president stressed that Kiptum was “a great man and a world champion. His death has been a very hard moment” and he urged Kenyan athletes to make Paris 2024 “an Olympics in honor of Kelvin Kiptum”.
One of the most exciting moments of the ceremony was the intervention of the widow of the athlete Asenath Cheruto, who said through tears that she will miss Kiptum: “You are the love of my life forever until we meet again, but I promise to reunite strength for the good of our children,” said Cheruto.
Cheruto indicated that they were planning the big day “to tie the knot in a wedding ceremony in April 2024, although God’s plans are greater.”
Athletics personalities such as Kenyan Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon and Gabriel Geay of Tanzania, who placed second behind Kiptum in the 2022 Valencia Marathon, were present to honor his memory.
Kiptum’s body will be moved to the new house that Ruto had built for the athlete’s family, thus fulfilling a dream that Kiptum had planned to realize this year.
During the funeral, the Kenyan president announced that in addition to this house, he will be responsible for building another residence for Kiptum’s widow and will find her a job.
Kelvin Kiptum became world famous on October 8 by setting a new marathon world record with a time of 2h00:35, surpassing his compatriot Eliud Kipchoge’s previous mark of 2h01:09, achieved in Berlin in September 2022.
His tragic death, along with that of his Rwandan coach Gervais Hakizimana, generated a wave of condolences in Kenya and internationally, praising Kiptum as a figure destined to mark an era in athletics due to his youth and for being considered the main candidate for break the two-hour barrier in the mythical distance.
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