Paris 2024 athletics: Kelvin Kiptum’s memory lingers over Olympic marathons - ‘We want to do it for him’
Representing his country was Kelvin Kiptum’s dream since he was 13 years old.
A decade later and after just three marathons, he earned a provisional call-up to Kenya’s fiercely competitive Olympics team.
With his run of 2:00.35 at the 2023 Chicago marathon that shattered the world record by a massive 34 seconds, Kiptum was almost assured of his place in the Paris-bound marathon team and was an odds-on favourite for gold at this Saturday’s (10 August) men’s marathon at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
He died in a car accident in the running town of Kapsabet in Western Kenya, on 11 February, a race away from that dream.
But his genius will linger long in the memory when the 82 runners set off for the men’s marathon across the dazzling and demanding marathon route, starting at the the Hôtel de Ville in Paris to Versailles.
His compatriot Benson Kipruto, one of the favourites to win the race, will be thinking of him a lot.
“Kelvin, much like an athlete like Usain Bolt, is the type of talent that comes around once in a lifetime,” Kipruto told the Associated Press. “He was obviously very special.”
Benson Kipruto running for Kelvin Kiptum
Kipruto last raced him at his last race in Chicago, where he finished more than three minutes off his world-record time.
“I recall how fast the pace was already at 5k and the fact that I couldn’t go with it. I also remember when I crossed the finish line, I heard about the (world record) and I was surprised, but not shocked,” said Kipruto, a three-time major marathon winner.
“All of us know that Kelvin would and should have been in Paris to run this Olympic marathon. So undoubtedly, he will be remembered. I will be racing representing him as well, and that can be a factor for me to work extra hard making sure that I have all what it takes for Kenyans that miss Kelvin in action."
Another Kenyan marathoner Hellen Obiri, who will start in the women’s marathon on Sunday, 11 August also plans to honour their fallen teammate who was killed alongside his Rwandan coach, Gervais Hakizimana.
She said: “His presence will remain for so long. For Team Kenya, it’s like, ‘Let’s do this for him’. We want to do it for him. We want to do it for the country.”