Agnes Tirop: Mourners pay respects to running star

Leading athletes have joined hundreds of mourners at the funeral of Kenyan runner Agnes Tirop, who was stabbed to death in her home.

Her husband, Ibrahim Rotich, appeared in court this week as a suspect in her killing.

Ms Tirop was being buried at her parents' home in Nandi County, Kenya, on what would have been her 26th birthday.

Speakers at the funeral called for an end to domestic violence.

Her mother, Dinah Tirop, also spoke.
"I don't have much to say for today, I have mourned, I have cried, all my tears are gone," she said. "I give my daughter her final send-off and I ask God to give her her place."

Many mourners wore the signature red shirts of Athletics Kenya

Mourners gathered in Kapnyamisa, Ms Tirop's childhood village

Speakers at the funeral demanded swift justice for Ms Tirop

Ms Tirop was a promising long-distance runner who broke the women-only 10km world record last month, finished fourth in the 2020 Olympic 5,000m and who had won World Athletics Championships bronze medals.

A foundation against domestic violence will be established in her honour. Athletics Kenya announced on Saturday that the Kenyan leg of the World Cross Country Tour will be named after Tirop.