The athlete succumbed to a short illness on Thursday morning at a hospital in the capital, Nairobi, Athletics Kenya announced in a statement.

He made history by breaking four world records in just 81 days in 1978. He ran world bests in 3000m, 5000m, 10,000m and 3000m steeplechase.

He went on to break his own world record for the 5000m in 1981.

Rono moved to the US in 1986 where he lived for over three decades before returning home in 2019.

This news comes at a time when Kenya and the world is still mourning the death of marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum, who was killed in a road accident last Sunday.