Kenyan marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge has shared the profound shock and grief he felt following the sudden death of promising young marathoner Kelvin Kiptum.
On February 12, 2024, Kiptum tragically lost his life in a road accident in Uasin County after his vehicle veered off the road late at night.
Kipchoge recalled how the devastating news reached him while he was in the middle of training.
“I was with the boys, and four of my training mates met me at the gate,” Kipchoge said in a recent interview with NTV Sports, explaining how one of them delivered the heartbreaking news of Kiptum’s death.
The young runner had been involved in a road accident, and Kipchoge was immediately struck by the gravity of the loss.
The marathoner explained that, despite his grief, he had only a brief moment to mourn.
“The 12th of February was bad. I mourned Kiptum for only 15 minutes,” he revealed, noting how the sudden shock was interrupted by the demands of his training and the need to verify what had happened.
However, his attempt to process the news was swiftly overshadowed by a troubling discovery.
Upon checking his phone, Kipchoge found a flood of social media comments accusing him of being responsible for Kiptum’s death.
“Instead of mourning the death of somebody, the whole thing came into my sight that I was the one who killed him,” he explained, still clearly affected by the false accusations circulating online.
The backlash did not end there. Kipchoge also mentioned that he received threats from individuals who claimed they would set his house in Eldoret on fire.
Fortunately, those threats were never acted upon, but the emotional toll remained significant.
Kiptum’s death and the subsequent social media response left Kipchoge grappling not only with personal grief but also with the unexpected challenges of online misinformation and public scrutiny.
Related: Photos Of Kelvin Kiptum’s Side Chick Who Surfaced To Mourn Him After His Death
