Charles Kipsang finished in 16th place in the Senior Men category race at the 29th edition of the Mount Cameroon Race of Hope. Prior to this, all signs pointed to him securing Gold medal in the race.

He had taken an early lead, reaching the summit of Mount Cameroon in first place. He received hype and attention from the media around him. During the descent, things took a turn.

A few kilometres from the finish line, Kipsang experienced difficulty breathing and stopped running due to discomfort. This pause allowed Cameroonian-born Elvis Nsabinia to overtake him and emerge as the competition’s winner.

After losing his lead in the critical section of the race, Kipsang had to settle for 16th place. Upon reaching the finish line at the Molyko Stadium, he collapsed a few minutes later.

Efforts by the medical team to resuscitate him were futile and the 32-year-old breathed his last. Authorities have launched an investigation to ascertain the cause of his death, as Kipsang had not shown any indications of poor health.

South West Governor Bernard Okalia Bilai informed the media that he and the minister had departed the stadium 30 minutes earlier to collect Kipsang’s prize since it was apparent that he would emerge as the winner.

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However, fate had other plans, and by the time Kipsang arrived at the finish line, the competition’s winners had already been awarded.

“So we cannot say exactly what happened. But he was good, he was fine after the race. He spoke directly with the president of the federation, Mr Motombi who said that he was well, he was good,” said the governor.

Charles Kipsang is the second renowned Kenyan athlete to tragically pass away within a span of 2 weeks.

Prior to Kipsang’s demise, President William Ruto led the nation in an emotional send-off for Kelvin Kiptum, the marathon world record holder, who tragically succumbed to a road accident.