The last farewell to Kelvin Kiptum: a crowd at the funeral in Kenya to say goodbye to the athlete who died at the age of 24

The Kenyan athlete Kelvin Kiptummarathon world record holder who died in a road accident on 11 February, he was buried this Friday in his hometown Kenyaafter an emotional funeral attended by the nation’s president William Ruto as athletics figures, who dedicated heartfelt praise to him.

“In Kelvin we saw the future of athletics in Kenya. He stood out not only as a great athlete, but above all as a good person. He was ambitious, disciplined and focused“Ruto said in Chepkorio (west), a town near the athlete’s birthplace, in a tent set up to celebrate the funeral.

The politician also stressed that Kiptum was “a great man and a world champion. His death was a very hard moment” and encouraged the rest of the Kenyan athletes to make Paris 2024 “an Olympics in honor of Kelvin Kiptum”.

But one of the most emotional moments of the ceremony was the speech of the athlete’s widow, Asenath Cheruto. “I will miss you, you are the love of my life forever until we meet again, but I promise that I will gather strength for the sake of our children,” said the woman with whom Kiptum had two kids.

Cheruto even added, anguished, that in recent months she and her husband had been planning the big day “from to wedding ceremony in April 2024though God’s plans are greater.”

Furthermore, dozens of athletes present at the ceremony paid their last respects to Kiptum covering his coffin with flowers and kneeling to receive prayers “against the spirit of accidents.” One of the athletes was the Kenyan Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon.

Another of the athletes present was Gabriele Geaya marathon runner from neighboring Tanzania who placed second in the 2022 Valencia marathon, behind only Kiptum, and who addressed words of condolence to the family on behalf of Tanzanian sport.

The accident that cost Kiptum his life occurred in Kenya, taking with it the life of the runner and his coach Gervais Hakizimana, who was next to him. It was an unfortunate event that completely shook the entire African nation which was one of the major exponents of sport, with much 24 years.

Kelvin Kiptum became world famous on October 8, when He set a time of 2:00:35 in the Chicago Marathon and clearly beat the world record held by his compatriot Eliud Kipchoge of 2:01:09.obtained in Berlin on 25 September 2022.

The news sparked a wave of condolences internationally praising the figure of Kiptum, who He was called to mark an era in athletics due to his youth and for being the leading candidate to travel under two hours in the legendary distance.

In a few months He was emerging as one of the great figures of the Paris 2024 Olympics, which will be held from July 26th to August 11th. In this sense, the president of World Athletics, Sebastiano Coehe also honored the athlete at the funeral.

“Kelvin, we will miss you. Our pain and sadness will take time to fade, we assure you that your achievements are precious, indelible and secure in our history and will never be forgotten,” Coe said.

The runner’s body left the morgue last Thursday in a funeral procession heading to the town of Eldoret (west) for a public body viewing ceremony.

The funeral was initially supposed to take place in his hometown, Chepsamo, in the eastern city of Elgeyo-Marakwet, but strong gusts of wind last night destroyed the tents set up for the ceremony and the authorities moved him to Chepkorio, about six kilometers away distance. distant.

The hearse carrying the deceased, accompanied by a convoy of family, security and fan vehicles, arrived at the Chepkorio venue decorated with wreaths.

Under a tent surrounded by floral offerings and on a red carpet, those present, from political authorities to sports figures, went to say their final goodbyes to the athlete.

His body will be moved to the new house that President Ruto has built for Kiptum’s family., who wanted to make that dream come true this year before he died. Furthermore, she will also order the construction of another residence for the widow and promised to find her a job.

Source: EFE