World marathon record holder Kelvin Kiptum and his coach Gervais Hakizimana died in a traffic accident on Sunday, Kenyan media reports said.
Kenya's minister for sports Ababu Namwamba said on social media platform X, "Devastatingly sickening!! Kenya has lost a special gem. Lost for words."
Kiptum set the world record at the Chicago Marathon in October with a time of 2:00:35 to surpass the record of 2:01:09 set by his compatriot Eliud Kipchoge in Berlin in 2022.