Kenyans woke up to the news that another budding athlete, Charles Kipsang, had collapsed and died during the Mount Cameroon Race of Hope. Charles Kipsang: Kenyan Athlete Who Died Was on Verge of Winning Race When He Gave Up Top Spot This comes barely two days since the country bid farewell to marathoner Kelvin Kiptum in an emotional state funeral attended by President William Ruto. Mimi Mefo Info reports that Kipsang died shortly after completing the 29th edition of the race held at the Molyko Stadium. The 32-year-old had started well and was on the verge of winning the race, being the first athlete to arrive at the Mount Cameroon summit. Everything pointed to him taking the top stop when he remained ahead of his competition during the descending journey and led until the final kilometre. However, the hype by media outlets soon turned into tragedy when he suddenly stopped running over some discomfort. He gathered himself and continued the race, but he had lost ground and paved the way for Cameroonian-born Elvis Nsabinla to emerge the winner. Having disappeared from contention in the most critical moment, he had to settle for the 16th position in the Senior Men category. Things turned from bad to worse when Kipsang collapsed a few minutes after crossing the finish line. Efforts by the medical team to revive him proved futile, as he was declared dead after arriving at the Buea Regional Hospital. Although he appeared exhausted at the finish line, the athlete had not shown prior indications of poor health. The cause of Kipsang’s death remains unknown, but authorities have launched an investigation to determine the circumstances behind the tragedy. South West Governor, Bernard Okalia Bilai, told the media that he and the Minister had left the stadium 30 minutes after and were informed that he collapsed while going to collect his prize. “We cannot say exactly what happened. But he was good, he was fine after the race,” Okalia Bilai said.
by Hillary Lisimba
