Marathon world record-holder Kelvin Kiptum and his coach died in a car crash in Kenya on Sunday.
Kiptum, aged 24, was on course to become a superstar of long-distance running.
According to reports from Kenya, Kiptum and his Rwandan coach, Gervais Hakizimana, were killed in the crash around 11 p.m.
The crash occurred on a road between the towns of Eldoret and Kaptagat in western Kenya, in the heart of the high-altitude region renowned as a training base for long-distance runners.
Kiptum was the first man to run the marathon in under 2 hours and 1 minute. He set the new world record of 2:00:35 at the Chicago Marathon in October, surpassing the mark set by fellow Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge.
Kiptum’s record was ratified by the international track federation, World Athletics, last week.