Marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum died after driving his car into a 'big' tree, it has been revealed.
The runner passed away on Sunday at the age of 24 in his native Kenya, with his coach, Rwanda's Gervais Hakizimana, 37, also killed in the road accident near Kaptagat, an area in the south-west of the country renowned as a training base for distance runners.
The news has rocked the athletics world, with World Athletics president Seb Coe leading the tributes to Kiptum on Sunday night, saying he was 'an incredible athlete leaving an incredible legacy'.
The details of the crash have now been revealed, with a female passenger, Sharon Chepkemoi, 32, surviving the incident after being taken to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret.
According to Kenneth Kimaiyo - one of the first responders at the crash site - via Nation, Kiptum's body was found under the vehicle with the runner already dead, and Hakizimana still alive on a hill.
He said he saw a man on a motorbike helping Chepkemoi at the scene, who was screaming for help and taken to Sanvanis Dispensary before being transferred to MTRH.
'We tried to save the coach because he was still breathing, but he died immediately,' Kimaiyo, who added that he had known Kiptum for a long time because he would often visit his shop in Chepkorio, said.
'Kiptum was laying under the car with his seat belt ripped and he was already dead,' he revealed.
The newspaper adds that Kiptum lost control of his vehicle at the Kaptagat area along the Eldama Ravine-Eldoret on his way back from Eldoret in Uasin Gishu County.
Jackson Tuwei, President of Athletics Kenya, said the vehicle veered off the road into a ditch before hitting a big tree 60 meters from the main road.
He said that the bodies were taken to the hospital for an autopsy which will begin after the families had been briefed and 'all agreements are done'.
He added that the accident happened at 8 pm GMT on Sunday, 11 pm local time, and that the vehicle was 'extensively damaged' and towed to a local police station for 'inspection and police further action'.
Kenyan journalist Kipruto Lagat, meanwhile, revealed photos of the crash site on social media in the early hours of Monday morning.
Police commander for Elgeyo Marakwet County in western Kenya Peter Mulinge confirmed that the two men that died 'on the spot' were Kiptum and Hakizimana, with Coe leading the tributes to the 24-year-old.
Coe wrote on X: 'We are shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the devastating loss of Kelvin Kiptum and his coach, Gervais Hakizimana.
'On behalf of all World Athletics, we send our deepest condolences to their families, friends, teammates, and the Kenyan nation.
'It was only earlier this week in Chicago, the place where Kelvin set his extraordinary marathon world record, that I was able to officially ratify his historic time.
