Reports indicate that Ugandan athlete Benjamin Kiplagat was fatally stabbed and discovered dead in Kenya, an incident that has sparked reactions across the continent.
The 34-year-old Kiplagat, who was born in Kenya, has competed in the 3,000-metre steeplechase for Uganda on a global stage, winning medals at multiple Olympic Games and World Championships.
On the borders of Eldoret, a town in the Rift Valley, his body was found in an automobile on Saturday night.
Many sportsmen who train in the high altitudes of Eldoret are known to call it home.
“An investigation has been launched and officers are on the ground pursuing leads,” local police commander Stephen Okal told reporters in Eldoret on Sunday.
He claimed that Kiplagat’s body had a serious neck knife wound, indicating that he had been stabbed.
“World Athletics is shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of Benjamin Kiplagat,” the global athletics governing body said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.
“We send our deepest condolences to his friends, family, teammates and fellow athletes. Our thoughts are with them all at this difficult time.”
Peter Ogwang, state minister for sports in Uganda, expressed similar sentiments on X.
“I send my deepest condolences to his family, Ugandans, and the entire East Africa for the loss of such a budding athlete who has on several occasions represented us on the international scene,” he said.
Recent media reports revealed that Kiplagat, a seasoned athlete with an illustrious 18-year running career, had been undergoing training in the Eldoret area. Subsequently, he travelled to Uganda to participate in various athletics competitions.
Kiplagat’s achievements include clinching the silver medal in the 3,000-metre steeplechase at the 2008 World Junior Championships and securing a bronze at the Africa Championships in 2012.
Notably, he reached the semi-finals of the same event at the 2012 Olympic Games in London and also competed in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Tragically, Kiplagat’s demise echoes the shocking October 2021 killing of Agnes Tirop, another Kenyan distance running star. Tirop, aged 25, was found stabbed to death in her home in Iten, a prominent training hub near Eldoret.
In a subsequent development, her husband, Ibrahim Rotich, faced trial for her murder last month. The 43-year-old has consistently denied the charges against him and was granted bail shortly before the trial commenced.
