On social networks, the double Olympic champion claims to have been accused of being linked to the death of Kelvin Kiptum, discipline prodigy who ran the marathon in 2h00.35 in Chicago before dying in a car accident in February in Kenya, at the age of 24.
“I was very afraid to let my children go to school.”
“It is shocking that I am associated on social media with the death of this boy”declared Eliud Kipchoge, 39 years old.
And to go further into details: “I received a lot of threats. People said they were going to burn my training camp, my house, my property, my family. That didn't happen, fortunately, but that's the way the world is made. My biggest concern was the safety of my family, I was afraid something would happen to my children.”
On this subject, he confides that he “was very afraid to let them go to school”. “Sometimes they would ride bikes, but we stopped because you never know what might happen. We started dropping them off and picking them up in the evening. My daughter is at a boarding school where, fortunately, no one has access to social media. For my sons, on the other hand, it was difficult to hear: 'Your father killed someone'.”
According to the marathon runner, social media platforms are not doing enough to stop abuse. He asks them to take action. “People should know that if they say something wrong, their account will be deleted.”
”I suffered to see that even many of my friends spoke badly of me. It touched me. I lost 90% of my friends”added the one who said he was “dismayed” and “deeply saddened” after the death of his compatriot.
At the Paris Olympic Games, the Kenyan wants to win gold again. He could become the first athlete to hold three Olympic titles in the marathon.
