Chairman of the Asaba 2018 Local Organizing Committee (LOC), Solomon Ogba has expressed shock over the news of the sudden passing of Kenyan athlete, Nicholas Kiplagat Bett.Bett died on Wednesday morning, a day after he was back from Asaba, Delta State where he and his colleagues came tops at the continent’s flagship athletics event.
Nandi police commander Patrick Wambani said Bett died on the spot after the car he was driving veered off the road and landed in a ditch near Lessos along Eldoret-Kapsabet road on Wednesday morning.
The 28-year-old former world champion was the first Kenyan ever to win a Worlds gold in hurdles after his magnificent run in Beijing 2015 Championships
In a statement, Ogba said the death of Bett was a big blow to both Kenya and Africa. “We were deeply touched when we heard the news of Bett’s death on Wednesday,” Ogba began.
“Coming at a time when the athletics family in Kenya are still celebrating their heroic performance in Asaba, it is painful that the former world champion is no longer around to savour this magic moment with the rest of his colleagues.”
Ogba advised that the legacies of Bett must be sustained and the former world champion must be immortalized.
“He was a great son of Kenya and Africa, so I expect that his legacies must be well protected, I pray for his family and his loved ones to have the strength to bear this irreparable loss,” Ogba concluded.