Kelvin Kiptum’s Father says his son was snatched from him in a very painful way. Speaking after the passing of the promising marathoner, Samson Cheruiyot paid tribute to his son and hailed him as a hardworking young man who exceeded expectations on the road.
Kiptum caught the eye of many in 2022 when he made the fastest-ever marathon debut during the Valencia Marathon in Spain. He then followed it up with a surprise London Marathon time of 2:01:25 in April 2023. His meteoric rise surprised many and he was frequently sounded as someone who will finally be able to beat the 2-hour mark in human history – previous record holder Eliud Kipchoge ran 1:59:40 in an Ineos-sponsored marathon event in Switzerland but it has never been recognized as the official marathon record as it did not meet some competition thresholds.
In October 2023, Kelvin Kiptum stole the headlines again after running 34 seconds earlier than the previous record held by Kipchoge. His time of 2:00:35 at the Chicago Marathon was officially ratified by World Athletics in early 2024 as the official world marathon record.
Speaking at his home in Chepsamo village, Chepkorio, Elgeyo Marakwet County, Mr Cheruiyot remembered his only son as a hardworking man whom they never imagined would rise to become a world-beater.
“My son belonged to the world and he has been taken away from me in a painful way. Since his birth, he was hardworking and he took after his mother who was an athlete we are glad that he later became a world-beater. He was my only son,” said Mr Cheruiyot.
Kelvin Kiptum’s Father Had High Expectations For His Career
“I expected my son to uplift our status but he has been snatched away from me, but I want to thank God for the days we lived with him. I have lost a treasure,” added Mr Cheruiyot.
Kiptum’s rise to superstardom was in many ways unprecedented. He was firmly cruising on the highway to celebrity status.
His marathon world record run in Chicago last October catapulted him to near cult status in the athletics world. His marathon record of 2:00:35 was just recently ratified as the official marathon record.
As a result of his exploits in Chicago, corporate endorsements would follow shortly after. Indeed, his Brussels-based management company—Golazo—was approached multiple times with lucrative corporate sponsorship deals from across the world.
At the beginning of February, Kiptum signed a contract with Amazfit, a high-end Chinese sports watch whose manufacturers also penned a deal with organizers of the April 14 Rotterdam Marathon as the official timing partner.
“Crafted for champions, this premium running watch brings you cutting-edge heart rate monitoring, pinpoint GPS accuracy, powerful 14-day battery life, and personalized AI-generated marathon training plans,” Amazfit said during the official launch of the sponsorship deal with organizers as well as the official unveiling of Kiptum as the official brand ambassador.
The Chinese manufacturer touted Kiptum as the next big thing in road running.
“Training is just half of what makes a champion—to level up his mental and physical recovery, Kelvin will also have the Amazfit Helio on hand. Coming in Spring 2024, this high-tech smart ring is a game-changer for athletes looking to dial in on every factor that can help them recover better – and in turn, perform better,” the Chinese manufacturer said in a statement when they picked up Kiptum as the official brand ambassador.
Besides Amazfit, Kiptum was also a Nike-sponsored athlete. When breaking the world marathon record in Chicago last October, Kiptum ran in Nike Dev 163 prototype shoes, a version of the commercial Nike Alphafly 3, which was launched in January by the American franchise.
Nike described the show as “the fastest marathon shoe in the world… tested and proven by the fastest runners in the world.”
He won the Chicago marathon race by almost three and a half minutes and took 34 seconds off the previous record set by Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge.
By the time of his death, Kiptum held three of the seven fastest times in history to his name, having also won the TCS London Marathon in April in 2:01:25 and was voted among the World Athletes of the Year for 2023 by World Athletics.
Naturally, he was destined to sign up more lucrative contacts.
As part of his strategic partnerships, like Kipchoge, Kiptum had also signed up with Maurten, a carbohydrate-rich sports drink popular with endurance athletes.
Kelvin Kiptum’s father had high hopes for the rising star. Sadly, the athletics world will never see Kelvin take to the field again after showing so much promise.
