Kiptum, who was Kenyan, and his Rwandan coach, Gervais Hakizimana, were killed in the crash at around 11 p.m. Another Kenyan athlete, Milcah Chemos, confirmed their deaths to The . She was at the hospital mortuary where the bodies were taken and had seen Kiptum's body, she said.
She said she went to the hospital with other athletes and members of Kiptum's family after hearing the news. The family members were there to identify Kiptum's body.
The Kenyan track federation said it was deeply saddened to announce the deaths of Kiptum and Hakizimana.
Kenyan media reported that only one car was involved in the crash and a third person, a woman, was also in the vehicle and was taken to the same hospital with serious injuries.
Kelvin Kiptum celebrates after winning the 2023 Chicago Marathon and setting a world record time of 2:00.35 last October. Michael Reaves/Getty Images
Kiptum was the first man to run the marathon in under 2 hours, 1 minute in an official race when he set the world record of 2:00.35 in Chicago in October, beating the mark of fellow Kenyan and marathon great Eliud Kipchoge.
He was due to compete at the Rotterdam Marathon in April, which would have been his first event since breaking the world record.
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe was one of the first to offer his condolences in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.
"We are shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the devastating loss of Kelvin Kiptum and his coach, Gervais Hakizimana," Coe wrote. "On behalf of all World Athletics we send our deepest condolences to their families, friends, teammates and the Kenyan nation."
"It was only earlier this week in Chicago, the place where Kelvin set his extraordinary marathon World Record, that I was able to officially ratify his historic time. An incredible athlete leaving an incredible legacy, we will miss him dearly," Coe wrote.
David Rudisha, Kenya's two-time Olympic champion in the 800 meters, wrote on X that he was shocked and deeply saddened by the news.
David Lelei, an All-Africa Games silver medalist, died in a car crash in 2010. Marathon runner Francis Kiplagat was among five killed in a 2018 crash. Nicholas Bett, who won gold in the 400 meters at the 2015 world championships, also died in a car crash in 2018.
