Samuel Wanjiru facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Samuel Kamau Wanjiru

Wanjiru entering the stadium in his marathon victory at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Personal information
Nationality	Kenyan
Born	(1986-11-10)10 November 1986 Nyahururu, Kenya
Died	15 May 2011(2011-05-15) (aged 24) Nyahururu, Kenya
Height	1.63 metres (5 ft 4 in)
Weight	52 kilograms (115 lb)
Sport
Sport	Running
Event(s)	Half marathon, marathon
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	5000 m: 13:12.40 (Hiroshima 2005) 10,000 m: 26:41.75 (Brussels 2005) Half marathon: 58:33 (The Hague 2007) Marathon: 2:05:10 (London 2009)
Medal record Men's athletics Representing Kenya Olympic Games Gold 2008 Beijing Marathon World Marathon Majors Gold 2010 Chicago Marathon Gold 2009 Chicago Marathon Gold 2009 London Marathon Silver 2008 London Marathon

Samuel Kamau Wanjiru (born November 10, 1986 – died May 15, 2011) was a famous long-distance runner from Kenya. He made history at the 2008 Beijing Olympics by winning the marathon. His winning time of 2:06:32 was an Olympic record. He was the first Kenyan to ever win an Olympic gold medal in the marathon. He was also the youngest marathon gold medalist since 1932.

Wanjiru set the 10,000-meter World Junior Record in 2005. He also broke the half marathon world record three times. In 2009, he won both the London Marathon and the Chicago Marathon. These were the fastest marathons ever run in the United Kingdom and the United States at the time. He won the Chicago Marathon again in 2010, even though he had injuries that year. Sadly, he passed away in 2011 after an accident at his home in Nyahururu.

Samuel Wanjiru's Running Journey

Early Life and Training

Samuel Wanjiru was born in Nyahururu, a town in Laikipia County, Kenya. This area is part of the Rift Valley. It is about 150 kilometers (93 miles) northwest of Nairobi, the capital city. Samuel grew up in a poor family with his mother, Hannah Wanjiru, and his brother, Simon Njoroge. He used his mother's first name as his last name because she raised him alone. He had to leave school around age 12 because his family could not pay the school fees.

Wanjiru started running when he was only 8 years old. In 2002, he moved to Japan to attend Sendai Ikuei Gakuen High School in Sendai. He became very good at cross country races in Japan. He won the Fukuoka International Cross Country race in 2003 when he was just sixteen. He continued to win this race and the Chiba International Cross Country in both 2004 and 2005. After finishing high school in 2005, he joined the Toyota Kyūshū athletics team. His coach was Koichi Morishita, who won a silver medal in the 1992 Olympic marathon.

Wanjiru achieved a personal best time of 13:12.40 in the 5000 metres race in April 2004 in Hiroshima, Japan. He was only 17 years old then. When he was 18, on September 11, 2005, Wanjiru broke the half marathon world record. He ran it in 59:16 minutes at the Rotterdam Half Marathon. This officially beat Paul Tergat's previous record of 59:17 minutes. Just two weeks before that, he had broken the 10,000 m world junior record. He ran it in 26:41.75 at the IAAF Golden League Van Damme Memorial Race. This time was good enough for third place in the race.

Setting World Records and Olympic Gold

Wanjiru approaching the finishing line at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Samuel Wanjiru took back the half-marathon world record in 2007. Haile Gebrselassie had broken it earlier in 2006. Wanjiru ran 58:53 minutes on February 9, 2007, at the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon. He then improved his own record to 58:33 on March 17, 2007. This happened at the City-Pier-City Loop in The Hague, Netherlands. During this race, he also ran 20 kilometers in an unofficial time of 55:31. This was faster than Haile Gebrselassie's world record for that distance. However, it was not officially recognized due to how the timing was done.

Wanjiru ran his first full marathon at the Fukuoka Marathon on December 2, 2007. He won the race impressively with a time of 2:06:39, setting a new course record. He started 2008 by winning the Zayed International Half Marathon. He received a large prize of US$300,000 for this win. In the 2008 London Marathon, he finished second. This was his first time running a marathon in under 2 hours and 6 minutes.

At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Wanjiru won the gold medal in the marathon. His time was 2:06:32, which was a new Olympic record. He broke the old record of 2:09:21 set by Carlos Lopes in 1984. That year, he received the AIMS World Athlete of the Year Award for his amazing performances.

Victories in London and Chicago

In February 2008, after winning the Granollers Half Marathon, Wanjiru shared his future goals. He said he felt he could run a marathon in under 2 hours within five years. In April 2009, Wanjiru won the London Marathon. His time was 2:05:10, which was a new personal best and a new course record. He was very happy with this achievement. He said he hoped to break Haile Gebrselassie's world record soon.

In September, Wanjiru ran the Rotterdam Half Marathon in 1:01:08. This race was won by Sammy Kitwara. In October 2009, Wanjiru won the Chicago Marathon. His time was 2:05:41, setting a new course record for that city. It was also the fastest marathon time ever run in the United States. Winning both the London and Chicago marathons helped him become the top runner in the World Marathon Majors for 2009. This earned him a prize of US$500,000.

He planned to defend his title at the 2010 London Marathon. However, he had knee problems halfway through the race. He decided to stop running to avoid more injury. This was the first time he had not finished a marathon in his career. He chose to run the 2010 Chicago Marathon in October. A stomach virus before the race affected his training. He entered the race hoping to finish in the top three. Tsegaye Kebede took an early lead. But Wanjiru, even though he wasn't in his best shape, kept up the pace. He caught up with Kebede and took the lead in the last 400 meters. He successfully defended his Chicago title with a time of 2:06:24. His coach, Federico Rosa, called his performance "the greatest surprise I have ever seen."

Personal Life

Wanjiru married Mary Wacera, who was also a long-distance runner, in 2009. They had a child named Ann in 2010. Wanjiru also had a traditional marriage to Triza Njeri and they had two children.

Wanjiru's cousin, Joseph Riri, was also a world-class marathon runner. His younger brother, Simon Njoroge, was also a long-distance runner.

Achievements

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
Representing  Kenya
2005	Rotterdam Half Marathon	Rotterdam, Netherlands	1st	Half marathon	59:16 WR
2007	Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon	Ras Al Khaimah, UAE	1st	Half marathon	58:53 WR
	City-Pier-City Half Marathon	The Hague, Netherlands	1st	Half marathon	58:33 WR
	Fukuoka Marathon	Fukuoka, Japan	1st	Marathon	2:06:39 CR
2008	London Marathon	London, United Kingdom	2nd	Marathon	2:05:24
	Summer Olympics	Beijing, China	1st	Marathon	2:06:32 OR
2009	London Marathon	London, United Kingdom	1st	Marathon	2:05:10 CR
	Chicago Marathon	Chicago, United States	1st	Marathon	2:05:41 CR
2010	Chicago Marathon	Chicago, United States	1st	Marathon	2:06:24

Awards

• 2005 Kenyan Most Promising Sportsman of the Year award.
• 2008 Kenyan Sportsman of the Year Award.

Personal Bests

Samuel Wanjiru, breaking a world record in the 2007 Fortis City-Pier-City Half Marathon

Most information taken from IAAF profile.

Key: † = World junior record, ‡ = Unofficial

Images for kids

• 

  Wanjiru entering the stadium in his marathon victory at the 2008 Summer Olympics

• 

  Wanjiru approaching the finishing line at the 2008 Summer Olympics

• 

  Samuel Wanjiru, breaking a world record in the 2007 Fortis City-Pier-City Half Marathon

See also

In Spanish: Samuel Wanjiru para niños