Someone called Kelvin Kiptum these days the “James Dean” of athletics, but there is no indication that the formidable Kenyan runner imagined his quick and tragic end.
On the contrary, his obsession was to run the marathon in less than 2 hours and he trained with brutal intensity, aiming for the competition on April 14 in Rotterdam.
And then, towards his Olympic dream in Paris where he would be alongside Kenya's leader and marathon legend, Eliud Kipchoge.
They will have to investigate, now and later, why a route in the Kenyan highlands has a dangerous route and signage or what condition the car in which Kiptum crashed this Sunday, along with his coach, was in.
End of all dreams and one of the greatest talents ever to emerge in the history of racing.
Just three marathons were enough to make him a star, the last of them last October which he covered in 2 hours and 35 seconds, dislodging Kipchoge from the world record table.
Kiptum was just 24 years old, an age at which few dare to run a marathon.
Rebel without a cause
James Dean, who died in a car accident in 1955, is mistakenly attributed with the phrase “live fast, die young and leave a beautiful corpse.”
A phrase, in fact, that corresponds to Bogart in one of his films, “Knock on Any Door,” which he filmed in the late 1940s. For Dean, there were also three leading roles, after passing through the Actors Studio and small participations in other works: “East of Eden”, the adaptation of the novel by John Steinbeck directed by Elia Kazan.
Then came “Rebel Without a Cause,” which made him the idol of an entire American generation, identified with his nonconformity.
His character of Jim Stark was a summary of the anger, frustrations and outbursts of post-war youth.
And the third title, “Giant,” where he appears alongside Elizabeth Taylor and Rod Hudson, earned him an Oscar nomination for best actor.
On September 30, 1955, on a highway in northern California, at the age of 24, he crashed his Porsche against a pole, after trying to avoid another car that was approaching head-on.
Cars
Kiptum joins a list of young athletics figures, killed in a car accident.
The best-known name – and one that also enters the legendary category – is that of the American Steve Prefontaine, middle-distance runner.
The popular “Pre” did not compete in the Montreal Olympic Games in 1976, for which it had been preparing.
There was another gifted medium distance runner, the Belgian Ivo Van Damme who, at 22 years old, won the silver medals in the 800 and 1,500 meter dashes, escorting giants like the Cuban Alberto Juantorena and the New Zealander John Walker, respectively.
Tall and bearded, talented and loose, Van Damme seemed destined to rewrite the history of midfield, but a few months later he died in a car accident on a highway in France.
Today, the most important athletic tournament in his country, which is part of the world league, is named after him.
Four years ago, on a street in Marcos Paz and returning home on his motorcycle, one of the best – and most beloved – Argentine athletes of recent decades, Braian Toledo, died.
He had taken the Argentine javelin throwing records to another dimension, reaching a World Cup final and numerous titles and records in the youth categories.
Prefontaine
“Some people create with words or music.
Or with a brush and paints.
I like to do something beautiful when I run, that people stop and say: 'I've never seen anyone run like that.'
It's more than just a career, it's a style.
It is doing something better than anyone else.
It's about being creative."
This was Steve Prefontaine.
Born on January 25, 1951 in Coos Bay, Oregon, his boldness, aggressive style and charisma made middle-distance athletics a popular discipline in the United States.
His specialty was distances from 1,500 to 5,000 meters and he was the idol in what – from that day until today – is the temple of athletics in his country, the Hayward Field stadium, at the University of Oregon.
A disciple of Bill Bowerman, he ran as he lived: always taking risks, to the limit.
Enjoying?
“A lot of people run to see who is the fastest.
I do it to see who has the most guts and who can punish themselves with an exhaustive rhythm and, in the end, punish themselves even more.
No one is going to win a 5000 meter race after running two miles with ease.
No with me"
At the age of twenty he won the gold medal in the 5,000 at the Pan American Games in Cali, and then the Olympic nomination for Munich.
Due to his youth, he was not among the favorites, but he fought for a medal until the end and finished fourth in a race won by the Finnish Lasse Viren.
In the following seasons, he showed a constant progression in his marks.
“Giving up is not an option,” he assured.
On May 29, 1975 at Hayward Field he won his last test.
He spent another night of partying, beer and hamburgers.
Returning to his home in Oregon in his orange convertible car, he crashed into a rock.
The Pre saga inspired two films in the late 90s: “Prefontaine” with Jared Leto as the protagonist and “Limitless”, with Billy Crudop, while Donald Sutherland played the role of his coach.
Also, of course, the main athletic tournament is named after him: “Prefontaine Classic”.
In the Oregon temple, where the World Championship was held two years ago.