According to a police report, the young man died of “severe head injuries.” His funeral will take place on Friday.

Kenya’s government on Wednesday released the results of the autopsy of Kelvin Kiptum who died in a car accident on February 11 along with his coach Gervais Hakhizimana.

The postmortem showed that Kiptum passed away from “severe head injuries,” according to Johansen Odhiambo, a Kenyan government pathologist who spoke to journalists.

According to Oduor, Kiptum sustained “severe skull fractures,” as well as fractures to the left and right side of his ribs and a pulmonary contusion. Oduor said that samples have been taken for a toxicology report but the results are pending.

According to Reuters, Kiptum’s body will be laid to rest on Friday in the village of Chepsamo, his hometown. Hakizimana’s body was buried on Wednesday in his native Rwanda, according to the news agency.

Kiptum’s death sent shock waves through the world. At the age of 24, he had already won three of his first four marathons with ease. In October 2023, Kiptum set a new world record of 2:35:35 in the Chicago Marathon. This beat the previous record of 2:54:34 set by the Kenyan runner, Eliud kipchoge.

Kiptum had declared his intention to go sub-2 hours at the Rotterdam Marathon in April. If he were to do so, he would be the first man to run under 2 hours in an officially sanctioned race (Kenyans Eliud Kipchoge ran a record-breaking 2:59:40 at the 2019 Dubai Marathon).

This month, many leading members of the running community have offered their condolences, with hundreds of people attending a memorial service in Eldoret, near Nairobi, on Thursday, Reuters reported. Among those attending was Faith Kipyeguon, one of the organizers of the race.

Kiptum leaves behind his wife, Cheruto Rotich (née Asenath), and two children.