Two-time Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge has revealed how his life was upended by false accusations that spread online following the death of fellow Kenyan marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum.
Kiptum, who was 24 at the time, died in a car crash on February 11, 2024 alongside his coach Gervais Hakizimana, triggering widespread mourning across the athletics world.
According to police reports, the tragic road crash occurred at around 11pm at Kaptagat area along Elgeyo Marakwet-Ravine road, where Kiptum and Hakizimana died on the spot due to the impact of the self-involved accident.
In the days that followed the news, Kipchoge says social media rumours wrongly linked him to the tragedy, leading to threats against him and his family.
Speaking about the ordeal in a video posted on the Engage Talk YouTube platform on Wednesday, Kipchoge recounted the moment he first learned about the crash.
“One day, I went to training in the morning. We were three. When I arrived at our gate, our boy who (was) always in our gate approached me and told me, Kelvin Kiptum has died through an accident, (with) his coach,” he narrated.
“I got shocked. I went to the house, got up the stairs, for only 15 minutes. When I came down, I opened my phone…social media was everywhere that Eliud killed Kiptum through road accident. And I was really down. Down to my knees.”
The marathon great said the claims left him struggling to comprehend why he would be accused of harming a fellow athlete.
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