Young Kenyan long-distance athlete Kelvin Kiptum and his coach, Gervais Hakizimana, died in a motor vehicle collision on Sunday (February 11).

The duo was killed on the outskirts of the famed mountainous Kaptagat settlement, which is used by the majority of Kenyan professional long-distance runners to train for professional competition.

The 24-year-old had recently been touted as one of the best marathon runners the world had ever seen as he won first place in the 2023 Chicago Marathon.

“He had some fear and preferred the shorter half-marathon until 2022 when he finally agreed to a marathon,” Hakizimana said last year

Their coach-and-athlete relationship began in 2018, but the pair first met when the world record holder was much younger.

“I knew him when he was a little boy, herding livestock barefooted,” Hakizimana recalled. “It was in 2009, I was training near his father’s farm, he’d come kicking at my heels and I would chase him away.

“Now, I am grateful to him for his achievement.”

During the London Marathon in April 2023, he clocked 2:01:25, setting a course record. He followed this with his Chicago Marathon win.

Kiptum penned a deal with Amazfit Global, a leading smart wearable brand that has an array of smart watches and other gadgets.

He announced the partnership on February 1, writing on Instagram: “I am extremely proud to announce my partnership with @Amazfit.global!… with everything I want to achieve, it’s important for me to keep on track of all the details of my performance and recovery.”