Kelvin Kiptum was a gold-medal favorite at the Olympic marathon. On February 11, he died in a car crash.

What happened?

The 24-year-old marathon prodigy was killed along with his coach in the crash.

Why it matters for Kelvin Kiptum

His competitors will wind through the streets of Paris on Saturday chasing a gold medal he would have been favored to win.

Kelvin Kiptum's teammate, Benson Kipruto, remembers waking up to the news. He couldn’t train, too heartbroken.

What comes next?

Kipruto will think of Kiptum at the start line — a quick remembrance of the runner he didn’t know all that well but who still made a big impact on him.

Kelvin Kiptum broke the world record at the Chicago Marathon last October, finishing in 2 hours, 35 seconds.

His agent, Marc Corstjens, was awakened in the middle of the night by a call about the accident.

Corstjens said: “We miss him each day a lot.”

Kiptum was born and raised in the high-altitude region of western Kenya, renowned as a training base for distance runners.

He left behind a wife and two kids.

The news of his death traveled fast to the Kenyan runners training at their camp in Kapsabet.

Someone heard the news during the night and started to wake everyone up to tell us, said Kipruto.

The next morning they were supposed to have a group training session but they were all too saddened to go for the workout.

The community is used to mourning together, with several high-profile Kenyan runners dying in recent years.

Marathon runner Francis Kiplagat was among five people killed in a crash in 2018.

Nicholas Bett, who won gold in the 400 meter hurdles at the 2015 world championships, also died in a car crash in 2018.

Samuel Wanjiru, the 2008 Olympic marathon champion, died in 2011 at the age of 24 after falling from a balcony at his home in Kenya.

In 2021, Agnes Tirop, a multiple cross-country world champion, was stabbed to death in her home, allegedly by her husband.

He was charged with murder.

Carey Pinkowski, executive race director of the Chicago Marathon, said: “(Kiptum) would have been the face of marathon running for the next five to seven years.”

Kiptum was just that talented, with no doubt he would have ran away with the Olympic marathon in Paris.

Kipruto will focus on running — because that’s what Kiptum would’ve done.

And Kiptum’s memory will linger over the Olympic marathon.

But his competitors will still chase the gold medal.

So the race will go on, with Kiptum’s memory in their hearts.

Kiptum’s time at the Chicago Marathon was a world record, and his legacy will live on.

The Olympic marathon will take place on Saturday, with Kiptum’s competitors running for gold.

And they will remember Kelvin Kiptum, the marathon prodigy who died too soon.

Kiptum was a talented runner, with a bright future ahead of him.

But his death has left a void in the marathon running community.

The community will mourn his loss, but they will also celebrate his life and legacy.

Kiptum’s memory will live on, and his legacy will continue to inspire runners around the world.