World Championship 10,000m medallist Agnes Jebet Tirop found stabbed to death at home
Comment
Kenya's Agnes Tirop broke the world record for a women's 10km road race in Germany in September
Phil HaighWednesday 13 Oct 2021 11:44 am
2.6kSHARES
Athletics Kenya are this afternoon distraught to learn about the untimely death of World 10,000m bronze medallist 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 in Germany, timing 30:01.
Las 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 medallist 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.
We pray that God may grant strength to family and friends at this difficult time.
Tirop had set a new women-only 10km world record just last month in Germany, crossing the line in 30:01, saying: ‘I am so happy to break the world record. The pace was tough but I felt my body was responding well.’
Tirop won bronze in the 10,000m in London 2017 and Doha 2019 (Picture: Images)
The distance-runner represented Kenya at the Tokyo Olympics this summer in the 5,000m, where she finished fourth on 2 August this year.
She narrowly missed out on an Olympic medal despite running a season best time of 14:39.62 in the 5,000m, with Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay crossing in 14:38.87.
Tirop celebrating a win in the Women’s 5000m Final during the Stockholm 2019 Diamond League(Picture: Getty Images)
Tirop’s triumph at the 2015 World Cross Country Championships at just 19-years-old made her the second-youngest winner of the women’s race ever, behind the legendary Zola Budd.
Tirop had travelled the world winning medals with Kenya, claiming bronze in the 5,000m at the World Junior Championships in Barcelona in 2012 and winning gold in the junior team race at the World Cross Country Championships in Poland the following year.
Her Cross County glory in 2015 came in Guiyang, China, before World Championship medals in the UK and Qatar.
World Championship 10,000m medallist Tirop found stabbed to death at home