The funeral of Kenyan marathon world report holder Kelvin Kiptum, who died in a automobile crash on the weekend, will happen on February 24, an athletics official stated on Wednesday, with the federal government promising a “heroic farewell”.
Kiptum shall be buried on the household house in Chepsamo, close to Eldoret, the guts of Kenyan distance operating within the west of the nation, Athletics Kenya govt committee member Barnabas Korir advised AFP.
“We reached an settlement on February 24 after session with the household and the federal government, who took over all funeral preparations and protocol,” Korir stated a day after visiting the grieving household.
Police stated Kiptum, a 24-year-old father of two, was killed after the automobile he was driving fell right into a ditch and plowed right into a tree within the Eldoret space on Sunday night.
His Rwandan coach Gervais Hakizimana was additionally killed within the accident, whereas a feminine passenger was injured.
Kiptum's dying, simply 4 months after breaking the world marathon report, shocked Kenya and the athletics world.
“We count on some excessive dignitaries to attend the funeral, together with President William Ruto and the pinnacle of World Athletics Seb Coe,” Korir stated.
He added that the funeral service could be funded by the federal government.
– 'Sporty powerhouse' –
“In honor of Kenya's late marathon world report holder, a real nationwide hero, the federal government will help Kiptum's household as they bid a suitably heroic farewell,” the Kenyan cupboard stated in an announcement on Wednesday.
“Kiptum was a sporting powerhouse whose record-breaking achievements impressed tens of millions of individuals all over the world. He stays the one human in historical past to have run a marathon beneath two hours and one minute.”
Kiptum shattered the world report in Chicago final October, slicing 34 seconds off the earlier quickest time of his Kenyan rival, Eliud Kipchoge.
The younger athlete had solely competed in three marathons and had set seven of the quickest seven instances of all time earlier than the occasion.
He was the favourite to take gold on the Paris Olympics, the place he was anticipated to face Kipchoge for the primary time.
– Athletics trials canceled –
Athletics Kenya additionally introduced that it will cancel the African Video games matches scheduled for subsequent Friday and Saturday “in honor of the late Kelvin Kiptum.”
It stated the choice course of for the crew that may signify Kenya on the Video games in Ghana's capital Accra will happen subsequent month at an unspecified date.
Tributes have been paid to Kiptum, with Coe describing him as “an unimaginable athlete who leaves an unimaginable legacy”.
Kiptum was the newest of plenty of Kenyan athletes to lose their lives lately, and lawmakers had known as on Tuesday for help and safety for the nation's sporting expertise.
The Cupboard stated it had famous “interventions” by the Sports activities Ministry to enhance athlete safety, with out offering particulars.
It additionally urged highway customers to implement site visitors legal guidelines and apply protected highway use to keep away from “tragedies like those who robbed Kenya and the world of Kelvin Kiptum.”
In accordance with figures from the Nationwide Transport and Security Authority, the variety of individuals injured in highway accidents in Kenya rose by about 5 p.c final yr to a complete of twenty-two,885, together with 4,324 fatalities.
Between the beginning of January this yr and February 11, the variety of recorded deaths on the roads was 563, virtually 5 p.c greater than the identical interval final yr.
