The passing of a former University of Alabama track star and collegiate record holder has rocked the world of Track & Field. Eliud Kipsang, a native of Kenya, suffered cardiac arrest on June 6 and was rushed to a hospital in Washington state.
According to reports, “The athlete had fallen ill on Friday, 6 June, and was rushed to Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup, Washington, where he was admitted to the intensive care unit. He remained in critical condition for four days before he was pronounced dead.”
Bizarre: Healthy Track & Field Star Dies From Cardiac Arrest
As Alabama prepares for the NCAA Track & Field Championships, one of their program’s legends passed away on June 10 at the age of 28 after spending multiple days in the ICU.
Social Media, Track Fans React To Shocking Death Of Track Star Eliud Kipsang
Track fans across the world sent sympathies, but people also wanted answers.
“This is so sad. And it’s not normal. Keeps happening to young athletes. There were two others in May during Brooklyn half marathon and one in Irving, TX,” said one fan hinting at an underlying cause.
“Completely normal. I’m sure this has nothing to do with the vaccines or anything. Carry on,” said another fan, refusing to beat around the bush as to what they felt was probably the cause of Kipsang’s heart issues.
“Cardiac arrest?! Sus,” said one enraged fan.
Fans were stunned and predictably, a few alluded to the COVID vaccine as a potential cause of someone so fit and elite conditioned suffering a cardiac arrest out of the blue.
“I’m always shocked when elite athletes die from health-related issues usually think of them having such high fitness that ain’t no way they such can take them out. (Prays for the family though),” said one skeptical fan.
“What a tremendous loss,” said another fan. “He was definitely a star in the making. Cardiac arrest at the age of 24 is insane!”
Go FundMe Set Up For Kipsang’s Repatriation
A GoFundMe has been set up for Kipsang to be repatriated to his home country. At the time of publishing, more than $9,000 of the $30,000 goal has been raised.
‘On behalf of the entire Alabama family, we extend our deepest condolences to his loved ones. The running community has lost a remarkable soul.’
Kipsang, who signed a pro running contract with Adidas Pro following a star-studded collegiate run, was the former collegiate record holder in the 1500m. His time of 3:33.74 is one of the five fastest in NCAA history.
Alabama has had some elite Track & Field stars throughout its illustrious history, but to this day, Kipsang still holds three school records for the fastest indoor mile, outdoor 1500m, and indoor distance medley relay. He’s also top-five for the indoor 3000m and top-10 for the outdoor 800m and 5000m.
Back in 2021, Kipsang was named SEC Runner of the Year as a sophomore, which followed up a freshman campaign where he won the conference 1500m title and finished second in the 800m. A warning of dominance to come.
Kipsang completed his college career as a two-time All-American. He also led the Crimson Tide to a fourth SEC cross-country title in 2022.