Kenyan long-distance runner Agnes Tirop, who represented her country at the recent Tokyo Olympics, has died aged 25, Athletics Kenya (AK) announced in a statement on Wednesday October 13, 2021.
According to the country's athletics body, Tirop was found dead at her home in Iten, after she was "allegedly stabbed."
Tom Makori, the head of police for the area, confirmed that Tirop’s husband was a suspect after going missing. “When police got in the house, they found Tirop on the bed and there was a pool of blood on the floor,” he said. “They saw she had been stabbed in the neck, which led us to believe it was a knife wound, and we believe that is what caused her death”
Her husband is still at large, and preliminary investigations tell us her husband is a suspect because he cannot be found. Police are trying to find her husband so he can explain what happened to Tirop.”
It should be noted that, the 25-year-old won bronze medals in the 10,000m at the 2017 and 2019 World Championships and finished 4th in the 5,000m at the Tokyo Games.
Last month, Tirop made history by taking 28 seconds off the long-standing, women-only world record for 10km at the Adizero Road To Records event in Germany.
Tirop finished in a time of 30:01 breaking the previous record of 30:29 which had been set by Moroccan Asmae Leghzaoui in 2002.
Following the race, she said: "I'm so happy to have broken the world record. I felt the pace was good. The course was very good, too."
At the 2015 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, Tirop became the second-youngest ever gold medalist in the women's race after Zola Budd.
Athletics Kenya said the country had "lost a jewel who was one of the fastest-rising athletics giants on the international stage, thanks to her eye-catching performances."
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta also paid tribute, saying in a statement: "It is unsettling, utterly unfortunate and very sad that we've lost a young and promising athlete who, at a young age of 25 years, she had brought our country so much glory through her exploits on the global athletics stage including in this year's 2020 Tokyo Olympics where she was part of the Kenyan team in Japan."
At press time, her husband is still at large, and preliminary investigations say, her husband is a suspect because he cannot be found. Police are trying to find her husband so he can explain what happened to Tirop.”
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Courtesy CNN/ KNews
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