Kenyan runner Agnes Tirop, a two-time world championships bronze medalist, has died.
The country’s track federation announced on Wednesday.
The 25 year old athlete been found dead at her home in Iten in western kenya a town renowned as a training base for distance runners.
Athletics Kenya said it was still working to uncover details of the incident but it had been informed of Tirop’s death
The federation said Kenya has lost a jewel.
“This is my friend who has left us under unclear circumstances. We have not yet accepted that it is Tirop whom we prayed for every day with so much hope to do mighty and good things for Kenya, and now she has been finished like that, we are not happy.”
According to Kenyan media reports, she was found with stab wounds in her abdomen. Kenyan police say they have initiated investigations into the matter.
Head of the local police, Tom Makori, said it appeared that the athlete’s husband had called his parents, crying.
“There are revelations which came from her husband’s family indicating that the husband had called his parents crying. He was explaining to them that may God forgive him because there is something he has done.”
Tirop won bronze medals in the women’s 10,000 meters at the 2017 and 2019 world championships and finished fourth in the 5,000 meters at the Tokyo Olympics.
Last month, Tirop broke the world record in the women-only 10-kilometer road race.
Her career took off when she won the world cross-country title in 2015 at the age of 19 to become the second youngest champion ever.
