Kenyan MPs Honour Kiptum Amid Calls To Better Protect Athletes

Kenyan lawmakers held a minute of silence on Tuesday in honour of running star Kelvin Kiptum after his death in a late-night car crash, and appealed for better support and protection for the country's sporting talent

Nairobi, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Feb, 2024) Kenyan lawmakers held a minute of silence on Tuesday in honour of running star Kelvin Kiptum after his death in a late-night car crash, and appealed for better support and protection for the country's sporting talent.

Kiptum, who smashed the world marathon record in October, was killed along with his Rwandan coach in the accident near his home in the Eldoret area in Kenya's Rift Valley on Sunday.

His death at the age of just 24, shocked his homeland and the world of athletics, with his compatriot and rival Eliud Kipchoge leading tributes to the "rising star".

In Nairobi, members of parliament bowed their heads for a minute's silence for the man who rose from humble beginnings as a herder to record three of the seven fastest marathon times in history.

He was a favourite for marathon gold at the Paris Olympics later this year, where he was due to face off against his older rival Kipchoge for the first time.

"At the young age of 24 years, Mr Kiptum had achieved what many athletes could only dream of," said Ng'elechei Caroline Jeptoo, MP for Elgeyo Marakwet County where the accident occurred.

"He was a beacon of hope not only to people of his village but also to the many in the country and beyond."