Marathon runner Kipchoge and family were threatened after the death of competitor Kiptum | Sports Other

Kiptum died in February in a single-vehicle car accident. He was 24 years old and was considered the greatest talent in the marathon. In the fall of 2023, he set the world record in Chicago at 2:00.35. In the years before that, Kipchoge was the record holder.

“I was shocked that people on social media platforms said: Eliud is involved in the death of this boy. This was the worst news ever in my life,” Kipchoge told reporters on Tuesday BBC Sports Africa.

The 39-year-old Kenyan, who will go for his third Olympic title in a row at the Paris Games next summer, received “very nasty messages” after Kiptum’s tragic death.

“My training camp, house, belongings and family would be burned down. It didn’t happen, but it is the way the world works. My biggest concern was the safety of my family, that something would happen to my children.”

Kipchoge did not allow himself to be controlled by the hate campaign. “My life takes place outdoors. I just run through the streets here. It was painful to experience that even many of my friends spoke badly about me. That affected me.”

According to Kipchoge, his form suffered from the threats. He finished tenth at the Tokyo Marathon in March, 2.5 minutes behind winner Benson Kipruto. It was his worst result since 2013. “In Tokyo I couldn’t sleep for three days because of worries.”

Kipchoge won the Berlin Marathon five times. In 2022 he improved the world record to 2:01.09. In 2019 in Vienna he was the first to run the 42.195 kilometers – with the help of a large group of pacers – in less than two hours (1:59.40), but that time has never been recognized.