In wake of tragedy, Rudisha urges Team Kenya to shine at World Indoor Championships

Glasgow 2024 ambassador David Rudisha has urged Team Kenya to the World Indoor Championships to help lift the nation's mood after a week of tragedy.

The country was thrown into mourning following the death of two of its major athletics figures in the same week. 

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First world marathon ecord-holder Kelvin Kiptum died alongside his coach in a tragic car crash and even before Kenyas and the world could fathom such a loss for the 24-year-old with his entire career ahead of him, another legend, former multiple world record holder Henry Rono passed away at 72. 

Rono is remembered for setting four world records, in 3000m, 3000m steeplechase, 5000m and 10,000m, within 81 days. 

Rudisha believes Kenya's line-up, led by Africa’s fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala in the men’s 60m and women’s 3000m steeplechase world record-holder Beatrice Chepkoech in the 3000m, can start the work of recovering from the losses.

“The country is going through a very sad moment. We lost one of our great athletes in Kelvin Kiptum, who was very promising,” said Rudisha. “It’s very tragic. We are still in shock but we encourage our athletes to keep on doing what they’ve been doing and training hard, because this is also a very important year for our country.

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It is sad that these things have happened but at the same time you don’t know what life brings sometimes and yes we just have to accept and move forward," he told Athletics Weekly in an interview after being unveiled as the Glasgow games ambassador. 

He continued to eulogise Kiptum adding; 

“Kelvin was an upcoming athlete. He was one of the best, running very fast times and within no time breaking the world record. We were expecting him even to do more. To have Eliud (Kipchoge) as one of the greatest marathon runners showing the way to these young athletes following behind it’s really an incredible honour. But to lose such a young, talented athlete is a huge loss for our country and of course for his young family.He sacrificed a lot in his life and he was ready to reap what he had been doing but it has been cut short.”