‘He had big dreams’: Ex-Commonwealth champion John Kosgei mourns son

Eliud Kipsang was preparing for a major return to athletics after a brief sabbatical when tragedy struck. The 28-year-old Kenyan middle-distance runner died on Tuesday in Puyallup, Washington, after suffering a cardiac arrest.

His father, former Commonwealth Games champion John Kosgei, said Kipsang had resumed training and had set his sights on the national trials ahead of this year's World Athletics Championships and next year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.

“He had big dreams and was back in training when death struck,” said Kosgei. “He wanted to complete the house he was building for himself and build another for his siblings.”

Kipsang had fallen ill on June 6 and was rushed to Good Samaritan Hospital, where he was admitted to the intensive care unit. He remained in critical condition for four days before being pronounced dead.

Kosgei, who won gold in the 3,000 metres steeplechase at the 1998 Commonwealth Games, and represented Kenya at the 1996 and 1999 World Cross Country Championships, said the loss had left the family shattered.

“We are devastated since Kipsang had no underlying conditions. He was healthy and never complained about anything,” he said.

“I talked to him five days before he fell sick. He had a cordial relationship with his siblings and called almost daily to chat with them.”

A second-born in a family of four boys and four girls, Kipsang grew up idolising his father.

“He was a vibrant kid and always followed me in training before the running bug caught up with him,” Kosgei recalled.

Kipsang, who studied at the University of Alabama in the United States, had made his mark in the the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competitions.

In 2022, he set a collegiate record in the 1,500 metres with a time of 3:33.74, a record that stood until earlier this year when Villanova’s Liam Murphy broke it.

After graduating in 2023, Kipsang turned professional and signed with global sportswear brand Adidas. He had personal bests of 1:46.99 in the 800 metres and 3:54.36 in the mile.

According to World Athletics, Kipsang’s last race was on May 24, 2023, when he finished eighth in the 1,500m at the CAA Division I East Championships at the University of North Florida.

Though talented, Kipsang’s path to representing Kenya at major championships was repeatedly disrupted. He failed to make the cut at the national trials for both the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 World Championships.

“He really wanted to don the national colours,” Kosgei said.
“After missing out on the Paris Olympics trials after he was flagged down for a missed test, his eyes were on the 2028 Los Angeles Games.”

The Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya later cleared him of the whereabouts charge, after he explained that his frequent travel between Kenya and the U.S. and his studies had caused the confusion.

Kosgei, who hails from Siwa in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County, retired in 2012 after an illustrious career. Now, he mourns not just the loss of a son, but of a dream that had only just begun to take shape again.