A pair of men were arrested in connection to the alleged murder of Benjamin Kiplagat, according to the Associated Press.
The Ugandan Olympic runner was found with a knife wound in his neck in his brother's car on New Year's Eve in Eldoret, Kenya. The knife suspected to be the murder weapon was found on one of the suspects arrested by police.
Moiben sub county police commander Stephen Okal said the motive for the killing appears to have been a robbery, as Kiplagat's cell phone and money were taken from him.
"An investigation has been launched and officers are on the ground pursuing leads," Okal told reporters Sunday.
Many athletes are known to train in the high-altitude city of Eldoret, which ranges from around 7,000 to nearly 9,000 feet in elevation.
Kiplagat, 34, competed in the steeplechase in three different Olympics, finishing ninth at the 2008 Beijing Games, sixth at the 2012 London Games and 19th at the 2016 Rio Games. His best finishes in international competitions were a second-place finish at the 2008 World Junior Championships in Poland and a third-place finish at the 2012 African Championships in Benin.
"I am saddened to hear about the death of our athlete, Benjamin Kiplagat who was reportedly murdered in Kenya," Uganda's state minister for sports, Peter Ogwang, said in a statement on social media. "I send my deepest condolences to his family, Ugandans, and the entire East Africa for the loss of such a budding athlete who has on several occasions represented us on the international scene. May his soul rest in eternal peace."
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