Athlete Benjamin Kiplagat was found dead with a stab wound to the chest

The world of athletics will greet 2023 with sad news. The Ugandan Benjamin Kiplagat, a 3,000 meter steeplechase specialist and three-time Olympian, has been found dead in Kenya, local police confirmed. That country’s media claims he was murdered.

According to the Kenyan press, Kiplagat was found in a car owned by his brother, along a connecting road Kimunucity ​​in which he resided, e Eldoret, a town known for being a training center for the best marathon runners in the world. He had stab wounds to his neck and chest, consistent with a death by stabbing.

“We are still investigating the incident to determine what actually happened. An investigation has been opened and clues are being sought,” he said simply. Stefano Okalpolice spokesperson.

According to the security forces report, neighbors reported that a vehicle had met with an accident and security forces officers arrived at the scene around 5 am. Inside the car they found a body stabbed in the chest. and had a deep cut on his neck.

Born 34 years ago in Magoro, a small town located about 370 kilometers north-east of Kampala, the capital of Uganda, Kiplagat started with athletics in the 10 meter event, but shortly after, on the advice of his coach , began to focus on shorter distances (between 1,500 and 5 thousand meters).

He had an outstanding youth career. He set several national records and won, for example, silver in the 3,000 hurdles. Junior World Cup in BydgoszczPoland, in 2008.

His first years in the senior category were marked by some health problems. In 2009, for example, his season was interrupted by malaria and typhus. And the following year he again suffered from malaria and a boil on his leg, which delayed his outbreak.

Kiplagat made his Olympic debut in Beijing 2008, where he finished ninth in the steeplechase, which became his specialty. In that event, he later competed at the World Championships. Berlin 2009 (11), Daegu 2011 (10th), Moscow 2013 (14th), BBeijing 2015 (31st) e Doha 2019 (18th). Even in London 2012 Games -he reached the final, in which he was disqualified, despite having achieved his best performance in a match of that level- and Rio de Janeiro 2016 (19). And she got bronze in the African Championships 2012.

“World Athletics is shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of Benjamin Kiplagat. We send our deepest condolences to his friends, family, colleagues and fellow athletes. Our thoughts are with them all at this difficult time,” the federation wrote international athletics competition. in a message he spread on social networks.

The news has once again shaken that area of ​​Kenya two years after the murder of the local athlete Agnes Tyropworld record holder of 10 kilometers on the road and specialist of 5 thousand metres, who died in October 2021 at the age of 25.

Kenyan police found Tirop’s lifeless body after she was stabbed inside her home, in Iten, 36 kilometers from Eldoret.

Ibrahim Rotich, Tirop’s husband, was charged with murder and has pleaded not guilty. He was released on bail last November, after two years of preventive detention and awaiting the start of the trial.