New autopsy reveals the causes behind Kelvin Kiptum's death

The tragic death of Kelvin Kiptum shocked the world of athletics. He was a legend of the sport and potentially would have been the first runner who could run a marathon under 2-hours. Several arrests have been made as part of the ongoing investigation. A recent autopsy revealed what caused his death.

Johansen Oduor, the official Government pathologist revealed the causes behind the death of the marathon prodigy. The contents of the autopsy were published publically by the Eldoret Hospital.

Oduor noted that the post-mortem revealed that Kiptum had severe head injuries and skull fractures, which were mainly at the base of the skull. "The spinal cord had intruded into the canal cavity because of the fracture. Further to that, there were fractures in both the right and left ribs, as well as raptures on the lungs," said Oduor.

The news was confirmed by the police in the Kenyan capital Nairobi. The arrests reportedly took place on February 14 in Kaptagat, Elgeyo Marakwet County, where Kiptum was born. The men in custody are alleged Chinese businessmen.

According to the Spanish publication El Pais, not much is known about the arrest but it has been reported that they were taken to the city of Iten after they entered custody. There they were questioned and it is being investigated whether there is a link between their visit and the athlete's fatal accident.

A few days ago, Kiptum's father told the local press, later reported by The Sun, that "a few days ago some people were looking for Kiptum, but they refused to identify themselves. I asked them to identify themselves, but they left."

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

Although the identities of the three people arrested have not been revealed, it seems clear that police will investigate all possible avenues in case there is more information to be uncovered.

The events start on February 11, 2024. Kiptum, one of the world's most promising marathon runners and tipped by many as the athlete to break the two-hour barrier, died after a serious traffic accident in his home country. He was 24 years old.

According to Al Jazeera, Kiptum was traveling with his coach, Gervais Hakizimana, and wife Sharon Kosgei when they lost control of their vehicle. They veered off the road and crashed into a tree, killing Kiptum and his coach.

According to the police report published by the French news agency AFP, the athlete himself was behind the wheel. “He went off the road,” the source said, without giving further details. “They went about 200 feet before the car crashed into a large tree.”

Kiptum was considered one of the best athletes in the world. The Kenyan broke Eliud Kipchoge's world record in the 2023 Chicago marathon with a time of 2:00:35.

The Kenyan surprised everyone with his phenomenal time, which made the front page worldwide. According to the Spanish newspaper Marca, many experts agreed that Kiptum was on the verge of completing a marathon in under two hours.

The Kenyan came very close in Chicago. However, he missed the coveted two-hour mark by a mere 35 seconds, which should not detract from his impressive performance.

And if that wasn't enough, Kiptum was only 23 years old at the time and had only participated in three official marathons. Before his victory in Chicago, he won his debut race in Valencia in 2022 and in London in 2023.

On his debut in Valencia (2022), Kiptum clocked in at 2:01:53, less than two minutes away from the magical barrier he almost broke in Chicago.

In 2023, he triumphed in the closely contested London and Chicago marathons, making him the big favorite for the rest of the season. After his death, World Athletics issued a press release calling the Kenyan "one of the most exciting new talents in recent years."

“We are shocked and deeply saddened by the terrible loss of Kelvin Kiptum and his coach, Gervais Hakizimana,” said World Athletics Federation President Sebastian Coe. “On behalf of all of World Athletics, we send our deepest condolences to their families, friends, teammates and Kenya.”

Many Kenyan athletes took to social media with messages of condolence to pay tribute to their countrymen. Former Olympic champion David Rudisha wrote on X that he was "shocked and deeply saddened" by the news, adding that it is a "great loss".

Kiptum himself was always a big fan of Eliud Kipchoge. “When I was young, I saw Eliud training and I was like, 'Maybe one day I'll be like Kipchoge.' He was always a role model for us,” Kiptum said after the Chicago Marathon.

Interestingly, Kiptum ran his world record wearing the same shoes Kipchoge wore in his last victory in Berlin. These are the Nikes Dev 163, which have been approved by World Athletics.

Kiptum was born in the small Kenyan village of Chepkorio, about 40 kilometers from the town of Eldoret, considered "the mecca of Kenyan athletics". The athlete trained there under the guidance of former Rwandan runner Gervais Hakizimana.

According to The Independent, "Gervais Hakizimana did hill sessions in the forest near his house. He (Kiptum) was small, but he followed us barefoot after tending the goats and sheep." “That was in 2013 and I hadn't really started running yet,” Kiptum said.

In 2016, at the age of 17, the Kenyan started participating in athletics more regularly and on a more professional basis. He already showed his great talent by winning the half marathons of Copenhagen (Denmark) and Belfort (France).

Kiptum trained extremely hard, according to Hakizimana, covering "an average of 250 kilometers per week... and sometimes more than 300".

The Kenyan athlete had his sights set on the Paris Olympics and was the big favorite for gold. Earlier in 2024, he said: "My thoughts are on Paris 2024. It is my dream, I have always had a great ambition to participate in the Games and I hope I get the opportunity to represent my country."

Kiptum's death is a tragic loss for the sports world, which sees another young prodigy pass away too soon.