Gervais Hakizimana was born in
Nyaruguru, Rwanda on 5 September 1987. At the age of 18 in 2006 he went to Kenya to train for the
2007 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. He fled Kenya during the 2007 post-election violence and went back to France. A few years later he returned to Kenya and trained in
Chepkorio. Hakizimana specialised in long-distance running and represented Rwanda at international competitions. He finished 17th in the
10,000 metres at the
2007 All-Africa Games, and competed at the
IAAF World Half Marathon Championships at the
2007 edition,
2008 edition and
2009 edition as well as at the
IAAF World Cross Country Championships in
2007,
2009 and
2011. On 28 May 2011 he set the
Rwandan national record in the
3000 m steeplechase with a time of 8:39.05. In 2015 he started struggling with injuries. He did not finish the
2016 London Marathon due to an injury which forced him to retire. Kiptum became the
marathon world record holder and the only person in history to run the marathon in less than two hours and one minute. Hakizimana and Kiptum died in a traffic collision near
Kaptagat, Kenya on 11 February 2024. Hakizimana was 36. ==References==