– People said I was involved – NRK Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule

– I was shocked, says Kipchoge.

Three months after that Kenyan Kiptum (24) died in a car accident in his homeland, Kipchoge tells candidly about the time after his compatriot’s death.

To BBC Sport Africa he says that speculation on the internet meant that he himself was drawn into the case.

– People on social media said that “Eliud is involved in this boy’s death”. It was the worst news I have ever received in my life, he says.

He himself says that he was in shock and grieving after Kiptum’s death.

Said they were going to burn the family

Kipchoge is currently training for the Paris Olympics, but has been heavily affected by the rumors following the death.

He says that in the time after the 24-year-old’s death, people began to speculate whether he was part of a conspiracy to kill Kiptum.

– I received a lot of bad news. That they were going to set fire to the training camp, that they were going to burn my investments in the city, that they were going to burn my house and that they were going to burn my family, Kipchoge told the BBC.

The 39-year-old says that the aforementioned threats did not happen, but that it created a disturbance about the safety of his family. He says he called around to people he knew to see if they were safe, and when he talks about when he called his mother, he tears up.

– I was very afraid that my children would go to and from school, he says.

That led him to start driving them to and picking them up from school, instead of them being allowed to cycle or walk. He says that his daughter has probably not caught on to the rumours, but that it was painful for his sons to hear that “your father has killed someone”.

– The accident that killed Kiptum created a lot of rumors and conspiracy theories in Kenya. It is sad that such a tragic incident should also create fear and insecurity in others, and especially completely innocent children, says NRK’s ​​athletics commentator Jann Post.

Claims he lost friends

The Kenyan claims he lost over ninety percent of his friends over rumors of his involvement in Kiptum’s death.

Afterwards, his team asked him to take a break from social media. He still did not want to delete the accounts, as he believed that it could be interpreted as that he had something to hide.

He also believes that the harassment has affected the sporting results. In a marathon race in Tokyo in March, he finished tenth, which is his worst result since his debut in 2013.

But still he is aiming for the Olympics in Paris. He already has two Olympic golds, from 2016 and 2020, and the goal is to win Olympic gold for the third time.