Samuel Wanjiru
Samuel Kamau Wanjiru (10 November 1986 – 15 May 2011) was a Kenyan long-distance runner who won the 2008 Beijing Olympics Marathon in an Olympic record time of 2:06:32; becoming the first Kenyan to win the Olympic gold in the marathon. He became the youngest gold medallist in the marathon since 1932.
Wanjiru entering the stadium in his marathon victory at the 2008 Summer Olympics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationality | Kenyan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 10 November 1986 Nyahururu, Kenya | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 15 May 2011 (aged 24) Nyahururu, Kenya | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 52 kg (115 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Running | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | Half marathon, marathon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal bests | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
He set the current (as of 2020) 10,000m World Junior Record in 2005 and set the half marathon world record 3 times. In 2009, he won both the London Marathon and Chicago Marathon, running the fastest marathons ever recorded in the United Kingdom and United States, respectively. He retained his Chicago title in 2010 in a season fraught with injury.
In 2011, he died after a fall from a balcony at his home in Nyahururu following a domestic dispute.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.