Jepchirchir advocates for athlete safety, emphasizes need for personal drivers

2021 New York City Marathon winner Perez Jepchirchir emphasized the importance of athletes having personal drivers to mitigate the risk of tragic accidents.

In light of unfortunate incidents that have claimed the lives of athletes in the past, the Olympian advocates for proactive measures to ensure their safety.

One such incident is the shocking death of world marathon record holder Kelvin Kiptum, who died alongside his coach Gervais Hazimana in a tragic accident.

Kiptum, aged 24, passed away on Sunday, February 11, around 11:07 PM, after losing control of his car along the Eldoret-Ravine highway, veering off-road, and entering a ditch on the left side. He drove in the ditch for about 60 meters before hitting a big tree.

Jepchirchir acknowledges that accidents may be unavoidable, but having drivers could significantly reduce the likelihood of such occurrences.

“I can say that we athletes should have drivers to drive us around. We never know because accidents happen, and we are unaware of what happens on the roads, but I wish Kiptum had a driver. Maybe this could not have happened,” she said.

The two-time world half-marathon champion further called on relevant authorities to work on the safety of the Eldoret-Kaptagat road, which has claimed several lives in the past. Kiptum’s death served as a wake-up call that something needed to be done on the road.

“Nowadays, several accidents happen on the Eldoret-Kaptagat road, so we urge the government to work on it to ensure the road is safe,” she urged.

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At the same time, Jepkosgei eulogized Kiptum as a great young man with a bright future. Kiptum passed away five days after his world marathon record was ratified. With this being an Olympic year, all hopes were resting on him to conquer the marathon field.

“We are very sad for the loss of our colleague Kiptum. It is very sad, especially for us in the athletics fraternity. We were not expecting this kind of sad news because we were still celebrating his record ratification. We had lots of hopes for Kiptum to perform well, especially with this being an Olympic year.

We have lost a great young man. We had lots of expectations, and we are still questioning God why this happened to Kiptum. We have mourned a lot, and some days we did not manage to go for training because of the shock,” she averred.

On Monday, thousands staged a walk from the border of Elgeyo Marakwet County and Uasin Gishu to the Iten Grounds to honor the fallen legend.

The walk attracted athletes, coaches, churches, fans, and the community at large who carried banners and pictures of the late Kiptum.

According to 72-year-old Jeniffer Jepkosgei, death robbed the country of talent, and it would take a long time to find someone like Kiptum.

“I am very sad. It is impossible to believe that he is gone. Why is this happening to us? Kiptum was a young man with a bright future. Sadly, we will not witness him breaking any records in the future. May he rest in peace,” Jepkosgei cried out.

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At the same time, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) dispatched a high-level forensics investigation team to conduct a thorough probe into Kiptum and his coach’s deaths ahead of their burials this week.

The forensics expert team commenced investigations on Monday, visiting the scene of the accident that killed the duo near the Flax Center in the Kaptagat area.

The team arrived at Kiptum's home in Chepsamo in Kaptarakwa ward on Monday afternoon after securing the accident scene, with the investigation expected to produce a conclusive report on what exactly happened on that fateful Sunday night.

Kiptum’s body will leave Eldoret Hospital Mortuary on Thursday, February 22, for an overnight stay at his home before burial on Friday at his four-acre farm in Naiberi, Uasin Gishu County. President William Ruto and other dignitaries will attend the burial ceremony.

A team of engineers is racing against time to construct a three-bedroom mansionette ahead of his burial, following instructions from President Ruto.

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