Former world marathon record holder and two-time Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge claims that an unfortunate campaign on social media falsely linked him to the death of current world record holder Kelvin Kiptum, and this threatens the lives of his family.
Before Kiptum’s untimely death in a car accident in February 2023, the Kenyan duo of Kipchoge and Kiptum was scheduled for an incredible master vs. apprentice contest at a marathon event in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
After dominating the world marathon scene for over five years, 23-year-old Kiptum shockingly broke Kipchoge’s record in Chicago last year, setting a new low of two hours and 35 seconds. For the first time since 2018, Kipchoge did not hold the record, signaling that his two straight Olympic titles might be in danger.
Following the devastating announcement that the two would not be competing in an Olympic blockbuster, followers on social media started to falsely believe that Kipchoge was part of a terrible plan to eliminate Kiptum.
Kipchoge’s Fear
Kipchoge stated: “I was shocked that people (on) social media platforms are saying ‘Eliud is involved in the death of this boy’… That was my worst news ever in my life…I received a lot of bad things; that they will burn the (training) camp, they will burn my investments in town, they will burn my house, they will burn my family. It did not happen but that is how the world is.”
Due to the rising speculations of his involvement in the case, the 39-year-old running legend stated that his family’s well being and security were his top priorities.
“I don’t have power to go to police and tell them my life is in danger. So, my concern was actually to tell my family to be extra conscious and cautious… I started to call a lot of people… I got really scared of my children going to school and coming back.” he added.
Kiptum, who died at the age of 24, passed only a few days after his world record-breaking time of 2:00.35 for the marathon had been officially accepted.
Cover Photo: IG
Source: 7News