World record holder Kelvin Kiptum’s tragic absence from the men’s marathon at the Paris 2024 Olympics

Many of the Paris 2024 Olympics’ flagship athletic events have come and gone, with Noah Lyles (men’s 100m) and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (women’s 400m hurdles) among the star names to have delivered on the biggest stage of all, while Julien Alfred (women’s 100m), Gabrielle Thomas (women’s 200m) and Letsile Tebogo (men’s 200m) have been somewhat more unexpected gold medalists.

A few months ago, few would have bet against world record holder Kelvin Kiptum triumphing in the men’s marathon, right up until his fatal car crash on February 11, 2024.

Kiptum’s incredible marathon records

Kiptum, of Kenya, packed plenty into his short time on Earth. He ran the fastest-ever marathon debut at the 2022 Valencia Marathon and then went on to run three of the seven fastest marathons ever recorded.

To make that fact even more impressive, he only raced three marathons, with the other two coming in the World Marathon Majors in London and Chicago in 2023. In the former, he was 16 seconds off Eliud Kipchoge’s world record, but then beat it in the latter by 34 seconds, posting a time of 2:00:35.

Six days after that time was ratified on February 6 this year, Kiptum, only 24, and his coach were killed in car accident in Kenya, with police stating the runner had lost control of his car, which entered a ditch and collided with a tree. Kiptum had been preselected for the Olympic Games and would have been the clear favourite to win had those horrific events not unfolded.

How Eliud Kipchoge can make history in the marathon in Paris at the 2024 Olympics

As a result of Kiptum’s tragic absence, Kipchoge is now expected to fight it out with fellow Kenyan Benson Kipruto and Victor Kiplangat of Uganda for first place. Should Kipchoge prevail, he will win collect his third straight Olympic gold medal in the marathon, which no runner has ever achieved before.

Speaking to Olympics.com before the start of the 2024 Games, he was in supremely confident mood: “I trust I will win that gold medal in Paris,” he put it simply.

The 39-year-old, who previously earned bronze and then silver medals in the 5000m at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics, has made a spectacular transition to marathon running, winning 11 World Marathon Majors (Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York), as well as back-to-back Olympic gold medals.

Kipchoge, having run 2:01:39 in Berlin in 2022, is statistically now the fastest long-distant runner on the planet, although that is only because of Kiptum’s horrific passing.