Benjamin Kiplagat, who has represented Uganda at three Olympic Games, has been found dead in Kenya, with local reports saying he had been stabbed.
Kiplagat, 34, reached the semi-finals of the 2012 London Olympics in the 3,000m steeplechase.
He was reportedly found in a car with stab wounds to his chest and neck, near the Kenyan town of Eldoret, known as a top training centre for athletes.
Kenyan police say they have launched an investigation into his death.
Kiplagat, known for his prowess in the 3000m Steeplechase, was a prominent figure in Ugandan athletics. He had taken up running inspired by the success of Boniface Kiprop, who hails from the same village as Kiplagat, especially after Kiprop’s notable performance in the 2004 World Junior Championships.
The late athlete initially competed in the 10,000 meters but later shifted to the 1500 and 5000 meters on the advice of his coach. Kiplagat made his international debut at the 2006 World Cross Country Championships, where he set a new national junior record of 8:35.77, subsequently lowering it to 8:34.14 in the final, finishing in 6th place.
Despite facing setbacks such as malaria and typhoid in the 2009 season, Kiplagat continued to break records, lowering the Ugandan national record to 8:12.98. In 2010, despite battling malaria and a leg boil, he achieved a remarkable record of 8:03.81 and secured a fourth-place finish at the Commonwealth Games.
