Kelvin Kiptum ‘would have broken’ two-hour marathon barrier, claims Lord Coe

Kiptum passed away after a road accident this month at the age of 24

Kelvin Kiptum would have become the first man to break the two-hour barrier in a competitive marathon, Lord Coe has said, as the World Athletics president paid tribute to the late Kenyan runner.

Kiptum passed away after a road accident earlier in February aged just 24.

The distance runner had established himself as a new star of the sport with a remarkable rise to prominence, breaking Eliud Kipchoge’s world record in just his third official marathon entry in Chicago last year.

In his only three elite level entires, Kiptum ran three of the seven fastest times in history, and had been due to try to lower his record of two hours and 35 seconds in the Dutch city of Rotterdam in April.

Coe has no doubt that the 24-year-old would have completed a feat he believes is akin to Roger Bannister’s four-minute mile or the first ascent of Mount Everest.

“It is a frustration to all of us that we won’t witness what I truly know he was capable of,” Lord Coe told BBC Sport Africa.

Kelvin Kiptum had been set to challenge the two-hour barrier (Getty Images)

“For sure he would have broken it. It would have been (Roger) Bannister and Edmund Hillary, both of them, wrapped into one.

“I watched him run in Chicago on television and he had a beautiful style. It was economic, fluid and graceful. He looked like a proper runner.”

Kiptum’s run in Chicago in October was 34 seconds quicker than compatriot Kipchoge’s best mark.

The veteran Kenyan became the first athlete to run the 26.2 miles in under two hours in 2019, but utilised a team of pacemakers and a number of other aids in an out-of-competition event in Vienna.

Kiptum was laid to rest in his home village of Chepkorio in the Rift Village on Friday, with Coe in attendance to pay his respects.

William Ruto, the president of Kenya, attended Kelvin Kiptum’s funeral (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

“Kelvin would have written more epic chapters in the illustrious history of Kenyan and world athletics,” he told the gathering.

“There can be few words from me that can ease the pain and sense of loss for Kelvin’s family, his fellow athletes, the legion of friends from within and beyond athletics. But I can speak on behalf of the entire World Athletics family: Kelvin, you will be missed.

“Our grief and sadness will take time to dissipate. Rest assured your achievements are treasured, indelible and secure in the annals of history and never, ever, forgotten.”