"I got really scared"- Eliud Kipchoge claims receiving death threats over allegations of his involvement in Kelvin Kiptum's car crash

Eliud Kipchoge, the two-time Olympic champion, made shocking revelations recently that he received threats of bodily harm after his name was dragged into his compatriot Kelvin Kiptum's car accident that ultimately led to the passing away of the marathon runner. 24-year-old Kiptum was looked up to as the next big thing in marathon running.

He made the headlines after shattering Kipchoge's record in 26.2 miles (42 km) and became the new world record holder with a timing of two hours and 35 seconds last year in October. However, he along with his coach Gervais Hakizimana, succumbed to injuries they sustained after crashing into a tree this year in February.

After the heartbreaking incident, a group of social media users started to blame Eliud Kipchoge as they speculated that he was the one who conspired in Kiptum's death.

The Olympian's family was also threatened for the aforementioned reasons and he revealed some shocking facts about the same in an interview with BBC News Africa on their X (formerly Twitter) handle. He said:

"I was shocked that people [on] social media platforms are saying 'Eliud is involved in the death of this boy', That was my worst news ever in my life."

Talking about the concerns he had for his family and school-going children at the time, Kichoge added:

"I got really scared of my children going to school and coming back. Sometimes they bike around, but we had to stop them because you never know what will happen. We started to drop them [off] and pick them [up] in the evening."

All of this hampered Eliud Kipchoge's professional career as well. The runner finished 10th at the Tokyo Marathon last month, which was his worst finish ever since the Kenyan started his distance running career.

---

Eliud Kipchoge poised to win three consecutive Olympic titles

The marathon running icon has his head held high as he approaches the Paris Olympics 2024 after winning golds at the 2016 Rio Olympics and 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Despite all the challenges Kipchoge encountered lately, he wants to win his third Olympic gold:

"The motivation actually comes from making history. I want to be in the history books to be the first human being to win back to back to back," he told BBC News Africa.

If he manages to win the title, then he will have five Olympic medals in his kitty as he had also clinched a bronze at the 2004 Athens Olympics and a silver at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

As part of safety guidelines, the Olympic organizers are planning to utilise artificial intelligence to safeguard athletes like Eliud Kipchoge against online abuse and ensure a smooth experience for the athletes.