Kenyan police said they found Mutua’s body in a "state of decomposition" in the Kenyan town.

Iten police commander Tom Makori told the Reuters news agency that Mutua’s boyfriend Eskinder Hailemaryam Folie is being sought by police.

"The body has been taken to a nearby hospital mortuary," Makori said.

"The suspect called a friend whom they were training together and informed him that he has killed a girlfriend and the body was in the house."

He had reportedly been training at the same training centre as Mutua, but could have left the country.

Mutua had represented Kenya at youth level.

She represented the nation at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore.

Mutua earned a bronze medal in the women’s 1,000 metres event.

Mutua, 28, switched allegiance to represent Bahrain at senior-level competitions.

The town of Iten has been famed for its running community, with the high-altitude centre dubbed the "Home of Champions".

The town has now seen the murders of two female athletes in recent months.

Agnes Tirop was killed on October 12 shortly after returning from Tokyo 2020 where she had finished fourth in the 5,000m at the Olympic Games.

Tirop's body was discovered the following day at her home in Iten with stab wounds.

Her husband Ibrahim Rotich was arrested in the coastal city of Mombasa, with police suggesting he had been attempting to flee the country.

Rotich remains in custody and denies murder.