Kenyan marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum and his coach, Gervais Hakizimana, tragically passed away this Sunday in a traffic accident on the road connecting Eldoret to Kaptagat, as reported by various Kenyan media outlets.

The fatal accident that claimed the lives of Kiptum and his coach occurred around 11:00 PM (local time in Kenya), according to Elgeyo Marakwet police commander Peter Mulinge, who also mentioned that the athlete was driving the car, a Toyota Premio.

In his brief sports career, 24-year-old Kiptum ran only three marathons. He made his debut in Valencia in December 2022, setting the fastest time in history for a debutant (2:01:53). In 2023, he won in London with a time of 2:01:25 and on October 8, he broke the world record for the distance with a time of 2:00:35, taking the previous record from his compatriot Eliud Kipchoge.

This record was officially recognized by World Athletics five days before his untimely death on February 6th.