Kipyegon Bett: Kenyan champion runner who was once banned from the sport dies aged 26 after short illness

The athlete, who was once banned from the sport for doping offences, passed away in hospital on Sunday, October 6, according to his sister and fellow competitive runner Purity Kirui. She said in a statement: “He has been unwell for about a month and had been treated at AIC Litein Hospital as an outpatient. On Saturday, his condition deteriorated and was referred to Tenwek for further tests.”

Bett, 26, is said to have been vomiting blood due to internal damage to his liver and other organs. He had been admitted to hospital on Monday, September 30 and had returned after being discharged. Specifics of his illness are unknown at this point.

The runner was a champion athlete, having scooped gold in 800m U20’s race at the 2016 World Athletic Championships, as well as silver in 4x800m at the 2017 World Relay Championships. However, his running career ground to a halt in 2018 after he was handed a doping ban for testing positive for blood booster Erythropoietin commonly known as EPO.

He returned to the track in 2022 to compete in the 400m hurdles race at the Third Athletics Kenya Track and Field Meeting. He finished third in the race and had not competed in the sport since.