Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has sent in a message of condolence and comfort to the family, friends and the athletics fraternity, following the death of Agnes Tirop whom he described as a Kenyan hero and champion. He said her death is a big blow to the country’s sporting ambitions and profile.

“It is unsettling, utterly unfortunate and very sad that we’ve lost a young and promising athlete who, at a young age of 25 years, she had brought our country so much glory through her exploits on the global athletics stage including in this year’s 2020 Tokyo Olympics where she was part of the Kenyan team in Japan,” the President eulogised.

“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,” the President said, and directed the police to hasten the search and apprehension of the athlete’s killers.

“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.
Kenyan world record holder Agnes Tirop was found stabbed to death at her home in the western town of Iten, with police treating her husband, Emmanuel Ibrahim Kipleting as a suspect.

The two-time World Athletics Championships bronze medallist, who finished fourth in the TokyoOlympics 5,000m final two months ago, was 25.

According to reports, police are actively looking for Agnes’ husband who hasn’t been seen since her death.
The BBC is reporting Agnes’ father called police Tuesday night, worried he could not reach his daughter.

Sadly, when police arrived at her home in Iten, Kenya, they found Tirop laying in bed, surrounded by a pool of blood.
Police say the runner had what looked like a stab wound to her neck … and that’s what they believe caused her death. She also reportedly had a stab wound to her stomach.
Agnes’ husband was not at the home when they arrived … and has not been heard from since authorities arrived on the scene.

Tirop was one of the best long-distance runners in the world. In fact, just last month she set a women’s world record at a 10-kilometer race in Germany. Agnes also took home bronze medals at the World Athletic Championships in 2017 and 2019.
MHSRIP