“Eliud Kipchoge is on level as Ronaldo, Messi, Salah yet we as a country don't show him respect"-Fans react to Kenyan facing abuse post Kiptum's death

Two-time Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge recently revealed that he has faced severe online abuse following the demise of fellow sprinter Kelvin Kiptum. Kiptum, who broke Kipchoge’s marathon world record with a time of 2:00:35 at the 2023 Chicago Marathon, died in a car accident with his coach Gervais Hakizimana on February 11, 2024.

According to the local police, Kiptum, who was driving, lost control of the car as it went off the road, and collided with a tree after entering a ditch.

However, Kelvin Kiptum’s death not only has affected his family and the world but has also taken a mental toll on Kipchoge as the latter received threats directed at himself and his family.

In an interview with BBC News Africa, he opened up about the incident, stating [timestamp 0:01] :

“What happened has made it so that I don't trust anybody, even my own shadow, I don't trust. All people online on all social media platforms are saying that Eliud is involved in the death of this boy. I received a lot of bad things, that they will burn my investments in town, they will burn my house, they will burn my family. So that was the worst news ever in my life.”

After the video became viral across social media, fans poured in their support for Eliud Kipchoge, who is regarded as one of the greatest Kenyan athletes of all time.

One of the fans compared Kipchoge with Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Mo Salah, and stated that Kipchoge deserved the same respect as the footballers receive.

“This man is on the level as Cr7, Messi, Salah yet we as a country don't show him the respect he deserves. The conspiracies were so hurtful manze,” they wrote.

While another fan called Eliud Kipchoge a hero, writing:

“Most of the people who troll others and spew hatred and insults are just losers who have never and will never amount to anything in life! @EliudKipchoge you are a hero who inspire many to achieve most of their life. Ignore the haters.”

Here are some other reactions that the matter generated -

“This man might be hurting he needs some help. Mental wellness is important,” an X user wrote.

“The attacks on Eliud Kipchoge after Kiptum's death was very LOW of Kenyans. It was very sad that Kipchoge had to go through that. I can't imagine the mental anguish and pain the man went through,” another user chimed in.

“Can't watch the full video. This was wrong. On behalf of my countrymen, we are sorry,” another fan mentioned.

Eliud Kipchoge’s performance at the Tokyo Marathon 2024 affected by online harassment

Kipchoge running at the NN Mission Marathon

Eliud Kipchoge disclosed that his performance at the Tokyo Marathon 2024 was impacted by online harassment he faced after the death of Kelvin Kiptum. He spoke about the same in the interview [timestamp 2:13]:

“In Tokyo, I had three days with no sleep, day and night. I don't know where the sleep went, but I did not sleep.”

At the Tokyo Marathon, the 2021 champion recorded his worst-ever marathon placement as he completed the race with a 10th-place finish with a time of 2:06:50.