Kenyan runner Charles Kipsang Kipkorir has died of a suspected heart attack after collapsing at the finish line of the Mount Cameroon Race, Africa's oldest international athletics competition, in the Cameroonian city of Buea, officials said.
Kipkorir, 33, who was leading the race, experienced discomfort that forced him to stop briefly a few minutes before the finish line, said Bernard Okalai Bilia, governor of the southwest region where the race was held.
The runner, who then managed to cross the finish line, collapsed after receiving his prize. He was rushed to the hospital, where he died a few minutes later.
"We cannot say exactly what happened. He was fine. He was good after the race. We might believe that it is something like heart attack," Bilia told reporters when announcing the athlete's death on Saturday evening.
"It is a very sad situation because he was at his fourth participation. It is a great loss for the African Athletics Confederation, for his country Kenya, and for us Cameroon," he added.