Agnes Tirop, Olympic Runner, Dead at 25

By Brian Jones

Agnes Tirop, an Olympic long-distance runner from Kenya, died on Wednesday, according to Yahoo Sports. She was 25 years old. Tirop was found stabbed to death in her home in Iten. Police say that Tirop's father reported her missing on Tuesday. Officers discovered Tirop's body with stab wounds and that they are looking for her husband for questioning. 

"Her husband is still at large, and preliminary investigations tell us her husband is a suspect because he cannot be found," Elgeyo Marakwet County Police chief Tom Makori said, per BBC. "Police are trying to find her husband so he can explain what happened to Tirop." Makori also said that police believe that CCTV in the house may be able to help with the investigation. According to the Associated Press, police said that her car parked outside her home had its windows smashed. 

Tirop competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics this past summer and finished fourth in the 5,000 meters. She won the bronze medal in the 10,000 meters at the 2017 and 2019 World Athletics Championships and was the world-record holder in the 10 kilometers road race. 

"Athletics Kenya are this afternoon distraught to learn about the untimely death of World 10,000m bronze medalist Agnes Tirop," Athletics Kenya said in a statement. "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."  

Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta also released a statement on Tirop. "It is unsettling, utterly unfortunate and very sad that we've lost a young and promising athlete," Kenyatta said in a statement. "It is even more painful that Agnes, a Kenyan hero by all measures, painfully lost her young life through a criminal act perpetuated by selfish and cowardly people."

In 2015 at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, Tirop became the second-youngers ever gold medalist in the women's race after Zola Budd. And in October of this year, Tirop came second in the Giants Geneva race behind Kalkidan Gezahegne in a time of 30:20. 

"Athletics has lost one of its brightest young stars in the most tragic circumstances," World Athletics president Sebastian Cole said who is also a double Olympic champion. "This is a terrible blow to the entire athletics community, but especially to her family, her friends and Athletics Kenya and I send them all our most heartfelt condolences."  

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