Former junior world 800m champion Kipyegon Bett die at di age of 26

Former world under-20 athletics champion Kipyegon Bett don die at di age of 26 for Bomet, Kenya, after a short sickness.

Di 800m specialist bin win im junior world title for 2016, im later win bronze for di senior World Championships for London di following year.

However, im match brake for im career for 2018 wen authorities sama am four-year doping ban and im bin struggle to return.

"Im bin dey sick, complaining of stomach pains for about one month. Di doctors bin say im bin get liver problem and im dey go in and out of hospital," na wetin im sister Purity Kirui tell BBC Sport Africa.

"Last week we bin carry am go hospital afta im start to vomit blood and dem kon admit am. I bin go see am [on Sunday] morning and im bin tell me say im dey in serious pain.

"Im bin tell our papa wey be pastor, to pray for am sake of say im dey feel say im no go survive and afta 12:00pm for afternoon im die. We try evritin to save am, but im leave us. E dey very painful."

Athletics Kenya official Barnaba Korir describe Bett as "one of di most talented half-milers" for di world and a "polite, easy-going and extremely amiable" athlete.

How drugs ban affect im career

Bett na one of di high-profile athletes for Kenya wey chop ban sake of anti-doping violations by di Athletics Integrity Unit.

Dem suspend di runner for August 2018 as im refuse to submit im sample and im subsequently test positive for erythropoietin (EPO).

Kirui, one 3,000m steeplechase runner wey bin win Commonwealth gold for 2014, tok say as Bett bin stop to run e affect am badly, and Bett bin dey 20 years wen dem ban am.

"Wen Kipyegon bin chop ban, im bin start to dey drink well-well, im no go eat well, im bin also suffer from depression," Kirui tok wit tears from dia house for Bomet.

"We bin try to help am stop drinking, but anytime we wan carry am go rehab im go disappear from house for days."

Di period wey dem ban Bett end for August 2022, but im bin struggle to return to a sport wia pipo bin dey respect am well-well bifor.

"I bin try to bring am back into athletics wen im ban end, I buy running kit and shoes," Kirui explain.

"Bifor im die, we bin get plan to try carry am go rehabilitation centre for Kisumu one more time."

Bett and athletics

Bett na di fourth child among six children and im enta athletics to follow di footsteps of im sister. Japheth Kemei, wey be Kipyegon coach, tell BBC Sport Africa.

"Bett bin join our training group wen im bin dey primary school becos im sister Purity ginger and inspire am to run."

"Na athlete wey get gift, im even beat [800m] world record holder David Rudisha for one race. Dat one show say im bin get a high potential.

"I bin expect am to come back to athletics wen im ban bin finish, but im bin no fit again sake of many challenges.

"I tink say sometimes once dem ban any athlete, e be like say depression dey enta somehow and dis athlete go chook hand and leg inside activities wey no go fit support an athletics career."

'Impact of doping dey always cause kasala'

Kenya bin don make substantial investments for dia anti-doping efforts since di 2016 Rio Olympics, but over 70 of dia athletes don chop ban over di past three years.

Di World Anti-Doping Agency bin recently raise concerns wit Kenya sports ministry over di goment major cut for di operational budget for di Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (Adak) from di previous year, as dem make reference to di potential impact on Kenyan athletes.

Dem reduce Adak yearly budget from 288m Kenyan shillings ($2.32m, £1.71m) to 20m Kenyan shillings ($155,000, £119,000).

Barnaba Korir, wey be youth development director of Athletics Kenya, don warn about di effects of doping sake of Bett death.

"Di impact of doping dey always dey catastrophic, especially for young and inexperienced pesin," Korir tok.

"We wish say di pipo wey introduce dat kain evil machinations to young souls fit understand di implications of such chemicals and di mental damage, even if dem (authorities) no catch dem."