ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia -- The fiancee of Ethiopian Olympic 10,000 meters champion Kenenisa Bekele collapsed and died during training on Tuesday, her coach said.
A promising athlete, 18-year-old Alem Techale was due to
marry Bekele in May.
"Alem had accompanied her fiancee for training early Tuesday
morning, but as soon as she started running she collapsed and
died while she was being rushed to hospital," her coach Tolosa
Kotu told Reuters.
The cause of Alem's sudden death was not yet known, he said.
The teenager's body was being taken to her birthplace of
Assela, some 225km east of Addis Ababa, on Tuesday, with the
funeral due to be held on Wednesday.
Alem first competed internationally in 2002 at the World
Youth Championships in Canada, running in the 1,500 meters.