NAIROBI: Tributes poured in on Monday for Kenyan running sensation Kelvin Kiptum after the marathon world record-holder was killed in a car crash at the age of 24.

The death of Kiptum, favourite for the marathon at the Paris Olympics later this year, has shocked Kenya and the world of athletics.

The father of two was driving from Kaptagat to Eldoret in the Rift Valley, the heartland of Kenyan distance running, around 11 pm (2000 GMT) on Sunday when his car careered off the road and hit a tree. Police said Kiptum and his Rwandan coach Gervais Hakizimana were killed on the spot while a woman passenger was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

“He lost control and veered off-road entering into a ditch on his left side. He drove in the ditch for about 60 metres before hitting a big tree,” said an official police report from Elgeyo Marakwet County where the accident occurred.