Kenyan double world 10,000m bronze medallist and 2015 world cross-country champion Agnes Tirop was found dead inside her home in Iten on Wednesday.
Athletics officials say the 25-year-old rising star who finished fourth in the 5,000m at the Tokyo Olympics was stabbed multiple times. Her death is being treated as a suspected homicide.
“Kenya has lost a jewel who was one of the fastest rising athletics giants on the international stage, thanks to her eye-catching performances on the track,” Athletics Kenya said in a statement.
In September, Tirop set the world record for a women’s only 10km road race in Germany.
She set a time of 30 minutes and one second in Herzogenaurach, Germany, as she took 28 seconds off the old 10km road race record set in 2002.
