Twenty-five-year-old breakout Olympic track star, Agnes Tirop was found stabbed to death in her home on Wednesday. The sudden death of the Kenyan athlete followed her victorious fourth-place debut at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Tirop’s long-distance strides also earned her a record-breaking gold medal at the 2015 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, making her one of the youngest women to ever achieve such an athletic feat. Her transition from 10,000 to 5,000-meters races shocked the world at the Tokyo Olympics, as she made a name for herself in the shorter-lengthed track and field competitions.
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Her fourth-place achievement further solidified Tirop as being one of the fastest women alive with some of the most competitive running capabilities on the track. Her accolades also included bronze medals for her 10,000-meter races at the 2017 and 2019 World Championships.
Agnes Tirop’s unknown cause of death has resulted in speculation surrounding her husband, Emmanuel Rotich, who was in the house when the late Olympian died. Keiyo North Sub County Police Commander Tom Makori told the local news that Rotich will remain a leading suspect.
“The suspect had made a call to Tirop’s parents saying that he’d committed something wrong. So we believe he knows what happened,” says Makori.
With her impressive athletic career, Agnes Tirop had a promising future. World Athletics president Sebastian Coe honored Tirop through a heartfelt statement that highlighted her accomplishments.
“Athletics has lost one of its brightest young stars in the most tragic circumstances,” said Coe. “World cross country champion at just 19, Agnes Jebet Tirop burst onto the global scene in 2015 and has been one of the world’s best female distance runners over the past six years. 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.”
Hearts across the East African nation of Kenya and beyond shattered at the tragic new of Tirop’s untimely death. Kenya will dearly miss one of its most promising track stars who was just beginning to craft a name for herself on a global scale.
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