Kenyan Athlete Agnes Tirop[ Photo:skysports.com]
Kenyan world record holder Agnes Tirop was found stabbed to death at her home in the western town of Iten, Elgeyo Marakwet County with police treating her husband as a suspect.
Police said they were on the hunt for her husband over the incident at Tirop’s home in the high-altitude training hub of Iten in western Kenya.
The two-time World Athletics Championships bronze medallist, who finished fourth in the Olympic 5,000m final two months ago, was 25.
Last month, Tirop set the world record for a women’s only 10km road race in Germany.
Tirop, 25, was a fast-rising athlete — a double world 10,000m bronze medallist and 2015 world cross county champion who also finished fourth in the 5,000m at the Tokyo Olympics this year.
Only last month, she smashed the women-only 10km world record at the Road to Records Event in Germany, with a time of 30:01, slicing 28 seconds off the previous record, Athletics Kenya said.
Tirop also made history in 2015 when she became the second-youngest ever gold medallist in the women’s cross country championships after Zola Budd.
“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,” Athletics Kenya said in a statement.
“We are still working to unearth more details about her demise.”
Keiyo North police commander Tom Makori told AFP that Tirop’s husband Emmanuel Rotich was a “man of interest” in the case and was the subject of a police hunt.
President Uhuru Kenyatta also directed the police to hasten the search and apprehension of the killers of Kenya’s athletics star Agnes Tirop who was allegedly murdered by her husband on Wednesday.
President Kenyatta joined Kenya’s athletics fraternity in mourning the Olympian Tirop who was found dead in her house in Iten town, Elgeyo Marakwet County.
“I urge our law enforcement agencies led by the National Police Service to track down and apprehend the criminals responsible for the killing of Agnes so that they can face the full force of the law,” the Head of State directed.