The athletics fraternity has once again suffered another blow after an international athlete was killed in Kimumu in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County on Sunday night.
The 2008 World Junior 3,000m steeplechase silver medalist Benjamin Kiplagat who represents Uganda in the 3,000m steeplechase was found murdered along the road on his way home situated in Kimumu.
According to the Moiben Sub-county police commandant Stephen Okal, they received a message from the public that an accident had occurred and the officers visited the scene at about 5.00 am on Sunday morning.
Upon scrutiny, the officers found that there was a man lying at the driver’s seat and he had been stabbed in his chest and had a deep cut on his neck, noting that the vehicle hit the motorcycle which is believed the owners used to block him before committing the crime and fleeing.
“We are still investigating the incident to ascertain what really happened but what we can confirm is that the man found dead is an international athlete called Benjamin Kiplagat,” said Okal.
Kiplagat who hails from Marakwet East has been training in Eldoret and its environs before heading to Uganda to compete in various competitions.
He has represented Uganda in various events including the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India where he finished fourth missing the podium narrowly, the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, South Korea where he finished in 10th position and the 2012 Olympic Games in London, United Kingdom where he reached semifinals.
He also bagged a bronze medal at the Africa Championships in Porto Novo in Benin in 2012 before finishing in the heats at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing, China, the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar.
By NTV Kenya