Kenyan long-distance runner and world record holder Agnes Jebet Tirop has died. She was 25.
Tirop was found dead at her home, an apparent victim of a stabbing. The athlete’s husband has been named as a suspect in the case.
The death of the athlete, who represented her country at the recent Tokyo Olympics, was announced by the country’s athletics body Athletics Kenya (AK) in a statement on Wednesday. According to local reports, Tirop had stab wounds in her abdomen. In the statement, AK said,
Athletics Kenya are this afternoon distraught to learn about the untimely death of World 10,000m bronze medalist Agnes Tirop.
Tirop was found dead at their home in Iten after she was allegedly stabbed by her husband. We are still working to unearth more details surrounding her demise.
Kenya has lost a jewel who was one of the fastest-rising athletics giants on the international stage, thanks to her eye-catching performances on the track.
Just last month, she broke the women-only record in the women’s 10km at Road to Records Race in Germany, timing 30:01.
Last week, she finished an impressive second, timing 30:20 at the Valencia Half Marathon.
Tirop’s decorated CV also includes a World Cross Country title in 2015 during which she made history as the second youngest medalist at that level.
She also won the Africa Cross Country Championship in 2014 in Kampala, Uganda as well as the World Junior Cross Country Championship in 2013 in Bydgoszcz, Poland.
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| Kenyan World Record Holder Agnes Tirop Stabbed To Death, Husband Named As Prime Suspect! |
“When [police] got in the house, they found Tirop on the bed and there was a pool of blood on the floor,” Tom Makori, head of police for the area, 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.”
Agnes Tirop 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.
She was just 10 days away from her 26th birthday.
