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Kenya’s former 400m hurdles world champion Nicholas Bett has died aged 28, following a car crash on Wednesday.
Bett had just returned from the Africa Championships in Nigeria when he died in Nandi, north west Kenya.
Athletics Kenya confirmed Bett’s death on Twitter, while Kenyan sports minister Rashid Echesa tweeted his condolences to the Bett family.
Nandi County police commander Patrick Wambani said Bett was killed in the crash on the road between Eldoret and Kapsabet, two of Kenya’s famed distance-running training towns in the Rift Valley region in the west of the country.
Bett’s Toyota Prado SUV hit bumps in the road and rolled, his coach, Vincent Mumo, told The Associated Press. Mumo said the accident happened around 6am.
Bett won gold in the 400 hurdles at the 2015 world championships in Beijing, a breakthrough victory in that event for Kenya, a powerhouse in middle and long-distance events.
He also won bronze medals at the African championships in 2014 in the 400 hurdles and 4x400m relay.
Athletics Kenya said it sent condolences to Bett’s family. Bett’s twin brother, Aron, is also an athlete and was part of the Kenyan 4×400 team that won gold at last week’s African championships. Nicholas Bett didn’t run on that team.