Legendary Kenyan athlete Paul Kipselgich Koech has passed on.
By the time of going to press, the cause of the death was yet to be established.
During his star days, the legendary runner and Kenya Army captain led other athletes in 1999 where his filed rivalry with veteran Paul Tergat caught the eyes of the world.
Koech was considered the biggest rival to Tergat after beating the latter at the Kenyan championships three times consecutively.
In 1996, Koech was third in the Armed Forces Championships, eighth in the nationals and ninth in the Nairobi leg of the IAAF Cross Challenge series.
He went to Cape Town for the World Cross Country where he was placed fourth. He also came second in 10,000m Olympic trials and sixth at the Atlanta Olympics.
In 1998, Koech took the silver medal of the men's long race in Marrakech just behind his rival Tergat.
He also won the IAAF Half Marathon Championships in Zurich-Ulster in 60:01 ahead of South Africa's Hendrick Ramaala and another cross-country specialist, Khalid Skah of Morocco.
Koech's death comes barely a month after the death of 2015 World 400m hurdles Championships Nicholas Bett in a road accident along the Eldoret-Kapsabet road.
President Uhuru Kenyatta led the country in mourning the 28-year-old.
