We are a very peculiar people. A majority of us knew Kelvin Kiptum after he broke the world record. But Eliud Kipchoge knew him well, and even predicted that he would break the world record.
This attempt to create enmity between Eliud or his associates with Kiptum is most unfortunate. I say so because the only grounds those peddling such a narrative have is that Eliud did not “congratulate” Kiptum upon him breaking Eliud’s record. But is this true? Of course not. Eliud congratulated Kiptum when the talented Marathoner won the London Marathon.
However, he didn’t offer congratulations through a post on social media. He did that in an interview. And in an interview before, Eliud said that Kiptum was most likely to break his record. He described Kiptum not only as talented but also as a person with a big heart.
After Kiptum broke Eliud’s record, Eliud again in a press conference showered accolades on the young talent. He had spotted Kiptum much earlier, seen his potential and tipped him for greatness.
The way he described Kiptum shows that he was not only following his journey closely but was also his fan and cheerleader Every year, there are more than 6 world major marathons staged.
Kipchoge as a rule does not do more than 3 races in a year. His record can be broken in any of these races. How exactly can he prevent people from running and attempting to break his records?
It’s a very painful and emotional moment losing Kiptum. It was like a story that had just begun, and then death tore the pages away
As we mourn this hero, let us not create enmity where we have no evidence that it exists. Let us not be careless with people’s reputations, for likes on social media. Today it will be Eliud, tomorrow it might be you.
