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The Kenyan Police reported that they are looking for the husband of runner Agnes Tirop, who was found dead in her home. Emmanuel Rotich, the athlete’s partner, became the main suspect in the crime after he had recognized him to his relatives during a phone call.
A case of femicide that shocks Kenya and the world of athletics. Agnes Tirop, a double world bronze medalist and expert in long-distance races, was found dead in her home as a result of several stab wounds, as confirmed by the Police.
Authorities are looking for the athlete’s husband, Emmanuel Rotich, as the main suspect in the murder. “We received a message from the family of Tirop’s husband saying that he had called his parents while crying and asked God to forgive him because he had done something wrong,” said Tom Makori, Keiyo District Northern Sub-county Police Commander.
When officers went to Tirop’s home in Iten, western Kenya, a high-altitude training center for many top-level athletes, they found her in the bedroom lifeless.
Makori said authorities have tracked Rotich’s mobile phone signal to try to track down his whereabouts.
“We are getting closer to the murderer (…) The sooner we make him reveal the circumstances that led to the young woman’s death, the better for all of us. We are under pressure to catch him,” he added.
“Kenya has lost a jewel of athletics”
The 25-year-old was killed just a month after she broke the women’s 10-kilometer world record at an event in Germany, where she posted a time of 30:01, 28 seconds before the previous record, held by Moroccan Asmae. Leghzaoui since 2002.
“It is even more painful that Agnes, a heroine from Kenya in all respects, painfully lost her young life to a criminal act perpetrated by selfish and cowardly people (…) I urge our law enforcement agencies run by the Police Service National to track down and arrest the criminals responsible for Agnes’s murder, “said the country’s president, Uhuru Kenyatta.
The athlete is also remembered for having represented Kenya in the 5,000 meter competition at the last Tokyo Olympics, where she ranked fourth in the final.
“Kenya has lost a jewel that was one of the fastest-rising athletics giants on the international stage, thanks to its striking performances on the track,” the Athletics Kenya organization said in a statement.
Tirop also made history in 2015 when she became the second-youngest gold medalist in the women’s cross country championships, after Zola Budd.
With AFP and Reuters
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