2013 Kenya national youth champion Ian Mutuku (19y) is dead, he collapsed and died in Machakos town. He is the eighth Kenyan athlete who suddenly has passed away.
Mutuku is a 2014 Africa Youth Games silver medalist
Kenya’s athletics fraternity is mourning the death of highly promising sprinter Ian Mutuku who died after collapsing at a hospital in Machakos on Monday, October 24.
According to Mutuku’s coach, Peter Muia, the athlete had checked into Machakos Level 5 Hospital on Friday, October 21, with swells all over his body before and his condition worsened.
Mutuku was only 19 years and his death is a big blow for Kenyan athletics.
In a tragic twist the athlete’s wife and young son were also admitted in the same hospital.
Mutuku’s son was admitted with kidney failure. The deceased was walking to the ward where his child was admitted before collapsing.
-“When I left the Madoka Half Marathon, I came to visit him on Sunday and he was very healthy although his feet were swollen. He had been admitted together with the wife who was with their toddler in another ward,
-“At around 8am in the morning he had difficulties in breathing and after removing his oxygen mask, he woke up to go visit his child, it was as if he knew his end was near,
-“After returning to his bed, he collapsed barely five minutes later. ,” the coach is quoted.
-“The doctors came, but Mutukus life was not to save,” he continued.
Mutukus deaths joins as the eighth of Kenyan athletes who suddenly passed away.
Ian Mutuku’s coach now demanding that Kenyan Athletics (AK) starts an investigation by themself.
– “We have to look at the supplements our athletes are use by them self,” he says.
He has seen more young athletes take supplements without a doctor’s certificate for later collapsing and dying.
– “As a coach, I know that many of our athletes confuse things that they do not have knowledge to ingest supplements. We have lost eight athletes in the country because of this and we must address the problem now,” he says.
The Athletics coach are working inside the Kenyan Athletics (the Kenyan Athletics National Federation) and has now been commissioned by management to investigate the cause of that eight practitioners have lost their lives.
– “Previously we have not had this problem. Now we need to ascertain what they can use and what they can not use,” he says.
Mutuku is the 2013 400 -metres national youth champion and also a silver medalist in the 2014 youth games.
Mutuku also finished fourth in the 2013 IAAF World Youth Championships in Donetsk, Ukraine and 2014 Olympics Youth Games.
