According to the latest announcement on the World Athletics website, marathon world record holder Eliud Kipchoge passed away on February 11th due to a car accident at the age of just 24.
Additionally, his coach, Haji Zaman, also lost his life in the accident.
Local authorities reported that Kipchoge's vehicle lost control, veered off the road, and plunged into a ditch 60 meters away, crashing into a tree, resulting in severe damage to the vehicle.
It is known that Kipchoge broke the world record previously held by Kipchoge during the Chicago Marathon on October 8, 2023, with a time of 2 hours, 0 minutes, and 35 seconds, becoming the first marathon runner in the world to run under 2 hours and 1 minute.
Eliud Kipchoge was born on December 2, 1999, and made his debut in a local half-marathon in Kenya in 2013. Over the next few years, he gained several experiences in road racing, with his best half-marathon time being 58 minutes and 42 seconds.
Just a few days ago, Kipchoge's world record was officially certified by World Athletics. He was also the men's champion of the World Marathon Majors last year and was awarded the title of World Athletics Athlete of the Year at the end of the year.
His next race was scheduled for April in Rotterdam, and he had been preparing for it for a long time. Given favorable weather conditions and other factors, it was highly likely that he would become the first human to officially complete a marathon in under 2 hours.
