'He united a nation': Kenya morns marathon prodigy Kelvin Kiptum

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00:00 First, the world of athletics and beyond is reeling from news of the death of Kelvin Kiptum,

00:06 Kenya's world record-holding marathon runner. His family is devastated at his loss. The 24-year-old

00:13 and his coach, Rwanda's Jereve Hakizimana, died in a car accident in Kenya's Rift Valley.

00:20 Kiptum had run in only three marathons but was already tipped as likely to succeed as he chased

00:27 a sub-two-hour time for his distance. His father says his son had also been excited about how many

00:34 people's lives he could change for the better with his success. Our correspondent tells us more.

00:39 Kelvin Kiptum's death has left Kenya and the world in complete shock and sadness. The 24-year-old

00:48 running sensation was a rising star in athletics and he was killed when he was at his prime.

00:54 In October, he set the world marathon record with a winning time of just two hours and 35 seconds

01:02 in Chicago. And he'd also announced that he was going to become the first man to run an

01:08 official marathon under two hours in Rotterdam in April. Since the tragic car accident on Sunday,

01:16 tributes have been pouring in from all sides of the political spectrum here in Kenya.

01:21 This is one gentleman who united the nation. You know, politicians from across the divide

01:27 are mourning him. You know, sports people from all walks of life are mourning him. Yeah,

01:31 it's indeed going to be a national mourning, a very, very, very dark period. And yeah,

01:37 it will take a lot of mental strength for Team Kenya to focus mentally and prepare for the

01:44 Olympic Games. Remember that the Olympics are just around the corner. It was a race that everyone

01:50 here in Kenya and around the world had been looking forward to. The Paris Olympic marathon

01:56 that would have seen the two greatest marathoners of all time, Kelvin Kipton and Eliat Kipchuge,

02:03 go head to head. It was a Kenyan rivalry that everyone here was so proud of.

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