The body of Kenyan athlete Charles Kipsang, who passed away during the Mountain Race in Cameroon, has been repatriated to Kenya.
The athlete arrived in Buea, Cameroon, in February and took part in the marathon, then died three hours later. On Friday, March 15, his body was received in his home country, Kenya. Before his passing into eternity, he had taken part in the Mount Cameroon Race of Hope four times, among other races in Cameroon.
During his farewell ceremony at the Buea Regional Hospital on Thursday, March 14, a Cameroonian athlete, Fomunyoh Kamsah Lydia, recalled the fond memories she had with Charles. “This is my second year of knowing Charles. The first time we met was at Omnisport in Douala. Charles was a very nice and friendly person. He does not talk too much. He is the kind of friend who gives courage to people because each time he is here, he always gives us advice.
“With me, for instance, when we met in Douala, he talked about their training programme and the kind of things I need to be eating. I see how I have improved because I follow what he says.
Charles, An Athlete With A Kind Heart
A member of Charles Kipsang’s family, Barnaba Kitilit Kemoi, flew to Kenya with his corpse. He saw Charles grow up, and now he is seeing his journey to the world beyond.
“Charles had a personality that was highly admired in the town and the country. Even his friends are in shock. He was a big friend and a great competitor. Someone who would accept defeat when he loses and celebrate his victory by choosing to do something unique in the community. Whenever he harvests maize, he sends a bag or two of his younger ones to my house. Charles was a very warm-hearted person. We have lost a man who is reliable, loving, kind, and responsible.
What killed Charles Kipsang?
Though his corpse has been flown to Kenya, no public information has been made to ascertain the cause of his death. When he died on February 24, the Governor of the Southwest Region, Bernard Okalia Bilai, said an investigation had been launched. His uncle, who came for his corpse, said he met with the investigating officer but said nothing about what killed Charles. According to the President of the Cameroon Athletic Federation, Emmanuel Motombi Mbomi, this is the first time that a foreign athlete has died while challenging the chariots of God.
Charles, An Athlete With A Kind Heart
A member of Charles Kipsang’s family, Barnaba Kitilit Kemoi, flew to Kenya with his corpse. He saw Charles grow up, and now he is seeing his journey to the world beyond. “Charles had a personality that was highly admired in the town and the country. Even his friends are in shock. He was a big friend and a great competitor. Someone who would accept defeat when he loses and celebrate his victory by choosing to do something unique in the community. Whenever he harvests maize, he sends a bag or two of his younger ones to my house. Charles was a very warm-hearted person. We have lost a man who is reliable, loving, kind, and responsible.
“Charles is my first cousin. He happened to be my athlete. I trained him and his other siblings. We have been together. I have seen him grow. Before this race, Charges had said he wouldn’t go but later said he couldn’t turn down the invitation from Cameroon.
“He was carrying a lot of weight. He was the firstborn son of his parents and came from a family of nine. Since 2012, he has been in and out of international races in Gabon, China, Japan, and Malaysia. The proceeds he made were used to educate his brothers and sisters, who were already in universities and colleges; he had another brother who was five years old, and the home was educating.
“The family has a lot of challenges. It is scary that he promised them that he was going to win a race and bring funds to alleviate some of the problems, but little did he know that it was his last journey. It was painful to realise that he even took the one-way ticket. It is like his last journey was running the mountain race.” Barnaba Kitilit, who is also an athletic coach and a member of the Kenyan AthleticFederation,
Mimi Mefo Info