Marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum, who dreamed of breaking the race's storied two-hour barrier, was remembered for his talent and humility at a funeral service on Friday in western Kenya.
Kiptum, 24, and his coach Gervais Hakizimana were killed earlier this month in a car crash.
The service in the Rift Valley village of Chepkorio was attended by political and sporting dignitaries, including Kenyan President William Ruto and World Athletics president Sebastian Coe.
Kiptum had only run three international marathons but each was among the fastest seven times ever recorded. He set the world record in Chicago last October in two hours and 35 seconds, shaving 34 seconds off his compatriot Eliud Kipchoge's mark.
"He was a real superstar whose path was on a spectacular upward trajectory," president of Athletics Kenya Jack Tuwei said.
"All indications were he was going to beat the two-hour barrier."
Anglican Bishop Paul Korir, who presided over the service, emphasised Kiptum's humility and ties to the local community, where he had worked as a livestock herder and trained as an electrician before becoming a professional runner.
"He dined with the high and mighty, and at the same time he came to play pool at Chepkorio," Korir said.
Kiptum will be buried later on Friday in a family plot near the city of Eldoret, where the government is now building a house for his wife and two young children.
His widow, Asenath Cheruto, said she and Kiptum, who had a traditional marriage in 2017, had planned to hold a "colourful wedding ceremony" in April.
"You have been the best husband and father to our children," Cheruto said.
Kiptum had hoped to break two hours at a marathon in Rotterdam in April and was also expected to make his Olympic debut in Paris this year in what could have been his first head-to-head match-up with Kipchoge.