Kenyan runner Kelvin Kiptum, who died aged 24 in a car crash on Sunday, blazed to athletics stardom when he seized the marathon world record in Chicago last October.

Born in the Rift Valley, the heartland of Kenyan distance running, Kiptum was barely a teenager when he began following elite athletes training in the high-altitude region. 

He burst onto the marathon scene in 2022 with a stunning debut in the 26.2-mile (42.195-km) distance in Valencia where he clocked 2hr 01min 53sec. 

World Athletics called it the “fastest debut marathon in history”.

Less than a year later and racing only his third marathon, Kiptum shattered the world record in Chicago, becoming the first man to run under two hours and one minute in a record-eligible race.

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