Samuel Wanjiru

Samuel Kamau Wanjiru
Wanjiru entering the stadium in his marathon victory at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Personal information
NationalityKenyan
Born(1986-11-10)10 November 1986
Nyahururu, Kenya
Died15 May 2011(2011-05-15) (aged 24)
Nyahururu, Kenya
Height1.63 m (5 ft 4 in)
Weight52 kg (115 lb)
Sport
SportRunning
Event(s)Half marathon, marathon
Achievements and titles
Personal bests
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing Kenya Kenya
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2008 Beijing Marathon
World Marathon Majors
Gold medal – first place 2010 Chicago Marathon
Gold medal – first place 2009 Chicago Marathon
Gold medal – first place 2009 London Marathon
Silver medal – second place 2008 London Marathon
Gold medal – first place 2007 Fukuoka Marathon

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.

He set the current (as of 2020) 10,000m World Junior Record in 2005 and set the half marathon world record 3 times.[1] 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.

  1. ^ "IAAF: Half Marathon - men - senior - outdoor | iaaf.org". iaaf.org. Retrieved 21 September 2018.