Marathon: “He really ran at a high level”, Kipchoge pays tribute to Kiptum

Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge, double Olympic marathon champion, paid tribute again before the Tokyo marathon on Sunday to his compatriot world record holder Kelvin Kiptum, who died in February in a car accident.

Kipchoge, 39, said he was "unfortunate that he left like that" on February 11 at the age of 24 after crashing in Kenya's Rift Valley, not far from where he was born. residence and training.

Rising star of Kenyan and world athletics, Kiptum made a thunderous entry into the world of marathons by beating during his third official race, in October in Chicago, the world record (2h 0min 35sec) held by the legend of the discipline, Kipchoge.

“His career was booming and he was really racing at a high level,” lamented Kipchoge, whose previous record (2h 1min 9s) was beaten by 34 seconds.

According to Kipchoge, who is running his first race in Japan since the death of his compatriot, this year's Olympic marathon in Paris will necessarily be "a little different" after this tragedy.

“There were high expectations,” said Kipchoge, who won Olympic gold at the 2016 Rio Games and five years later in Tokyo.

The Kenyan returns to Japan for the first time since 2022, where he broke the race record in 2h 02 min 40 sec.

Also present in Tokyo this weekend, the Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan, declared that she was “heartbroken” by the death of Kiptum: “He was so young and he showed the world what was possible. It's very hard".

At the same time as him last October, Hassan won the Chicago marathon by achieving the second best women's time in history (2h 13min 44sec).

The Dutchwoman, reigning Olympic champion in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters, is participating in Tokyo in only her third marathon. She won the first two in London and Chicago.

She will face the Ethiopian world champion Amane Beriso Shankule and the Kenyan Rosemary Wanjiru, winner in Tokyo last year.