Former World Athletics Championships gold-medallist Nicholas Bett dies in car crash aged 28 while back home in Kenya
- Former 400m hurdler Nicholas Bett has died in a car crash at home in Kenya
- Bett was killed when his car hit a bump and veered of the road into a ditch
- The 28-year-old had won a gold medal at the 2015 World Athletics in Beijing
- Bett became the first Kenyan to win a short distance race on the world stage
Former World Athletics Championships gold-medallist Nicholas Bett has been killed in a car crash aged 28 back home in Kenya.
Bett died near Nandi County, Kenya on Wednesday morning as he returned from the African Continental Championships in Nigeria the day before.
Local police commander Patrick Wambani reported the vehicle had struck a bump and veered off the road before landing in a ditch near Lessos, Nandi County.
Former World Athletics Championships gold-medallist Nicholas Bett has died aged 28
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The hurdler had become the first Kenyan ever to win a short-distance race on the world stage when he claimed gold in the 400m hurdles at Beijing 2015.
Bett made his breakthrough at the 2011 Kenyan Athletics Championships and his strong form saw him selected for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, where he missed out narrowly on the 400m hurdles final.
At the African Championships in Marrakesh, Morocco he secured two bronze medals – in the 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay with his Kenyan team-mates.
Bett finished with first in the 400m hurdles at the 2015 World Athletics Championships
Undoubtedly the crowning glory of Bett’s career was at the World Athletics Championships in Beijing where he upset the odds to finish with a gold medal.
Bett had scraped through to the World Athletics Championships 400m hurdles final, finishing in the last qualification spot by five hundreths of a second.
But despite starting in Lane Nine, Bett upset the odds by finishing first with a time of 48.37 to race clear ahead of Russia’s Denis Kudryavtsev in second.
Bett also appeared at the 2016 Rio Olympics as the reigning world champion but suffered disappointment as he crashed out in the first round.
The hurdler became the first Kenyan to win a short-distance gold medal on the world stage
Bett (left) celebrates after winning the 400m hurdles in Beijing despite starting in Lane Nine
Big things had been expected of the hurdler but he tapped the final hurdle after miscalculating the leap to miss out on the final.
Bett last competed on the world stage at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia where he finished eighth in the 400m hurdles while his Kenya team failed to qualify for the 4x400m relay.
Following news of Bett’s death, the Kenyan Athletics a tweeted: ‘We regret to learn of the sudden demise of one of our top athletes, the 2015 400m Hurdles World Champion Nicholas Kiplagat Bett who represented Kenya in the just concluded Africa Championships.
‘Our condolences to his family and the entire athletics fraternity.’
Kenyan sports minister Rashid Echesa also paid tribute, writing: ‘On behalf of the sporting fraternity and my ministry of sport, I convey my sincerest condolences to his family. Rest in peace.’
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