LONDON : Only time will tell whether marathoner Kelvin Kiptum was a generational superstar or just the latest hugely talented product of the East African running production line to benefit from shoe technology development that shows no sign of slowing.

Kiptum, 24, died in a traffic accident in his native Kenya on Sunday a week after his incredible Chicago marathon time of two hours and 35 seconds was ratified as a world record, slicing over half a minute off compatriot Eliud Kipchoge's 2:01.09 mark.

His Chicago performance ramped up the speculation about when - rather than the previous if - the sub-two hour mark would be broken in a legal race and though his death seems likely to have delayed the great day, it is unlikely to be for too long.

Kipchoge had blazed the trail in 2019 when he dipped under two hours in Vienna via various aids, principally a phalanx of pacers, that made his 1:59.40 an unofficial mark but nevertheless showed that a legal sub-two was within reach.

Kiptum, whose only three marathons were among the seven fastest in history in his short career, moved things on and with his age profile being young for a marathoner, the prospect of him finding another 36 seconds seemed inevitable.

Cruelly, however, the car crash that also killed his coach not only robbed his family of their loved one, but the athletics world of one of its brightest lights.

The scheduled showdown between the masterful Olympic champion Kipchoge, 39, and the brash new kid on the block already looked like being one of the highlights of this year's Paris Games and a dream marketing opportunity for Nike.

The two men hail from the Rift Valley region of Kenya that has produced a huge proportion of the world's best distance runners over the last 50 years and both were undoubtedly blessed with the extraordinary genes and commitment to training that elevated them to the top of the pile.

What they also had, however, were shoes that, in the simplest terms, enabled them to run far faster than with anything previously available.

The combination of highly-compressed foam and carbon plate came to public consciousness as Kipchoge started racking up big race wins in the shoes in 2015 and the development has continued apace.

MARATHON RECORD

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