Kenyans on Wednesday woke up to the sad news of the death of the 2015 400m hurdles World Champion Nicholas Bett.
Career
His first outing at national level was in 2010, when he was a Kenyan junior finalist. He made his breakthrough nationally at senior level with a run of 50.39 seconds to place third at the Kenyan Athletics Championships in 2011. He missed most of the 2012 season but returned in 2013 with runner-up finishes at both the national championships and world trials. A new personal best of 49.70 seconds at the latter meet placed him 53rd globally for the season.
Another runner-up finish at the national level earned him selection for both the 2014 Commonwealth Games and the 2014 African Championships in Athletics. At the Commonwealth Games he failed to make the 400 m hurdles final and was also eliminated in the heats of the 4 × 400 m relay after Kenya were disqualified. At the African Championships in Athletics, he won a bronze medal in the 400 m hurdles, achieving a new personal best of 49.03 seconds, and a bronze medal in the 4 × 400 m relay with teammates Mark Mutai, Solomon Buoga and Boniface Mucheru.
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Bett died on spot on a road accident after the car he was driving in hit a bump on the road and rolled several times before landing in a ditch on the roadside.
The incidence happened on the border of Uasin Gishu County and Nandi County near Lessos.
His sudden death comes after the African Athletics Championships in Nigeria. The fallen hero has left behind a legacy that will forever be remembered.
There are many things people didn’t know about Bett. Here are some of the hidden facts about him:
He is a father of three children. Two of his children are twins, a boy and a girl.
Bett hails from Simat in Uasin Gishu County. He is a home-mate to 1,500 metres World Champion Asbel Kiprop.
Before joining athletics, Bett used to play volleyball. He represented his school Cheptil at the East African Secondary School games in 2007, 2008 and 2009.
He was a football fan. His favourite Club was Chelsea. More so, former 3,000 metres steeplechase World Champion Ezekiel Kemboi is also a Chelsea fan.
