30 Facts About Samuel Wanjiru

Samuel Kamau Wanjiru 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.

Samuel Wanjiru became the youngest gold medallist in the marathon since 1932.

Samuel Wanjiru set the current 10,000m World Junior Record in 2005 and set the half marathon world record 3 times.

Samuel Wanjiru retained his Chicago title in 2010 in a season fraught with injury.

Samuel Wanjiru was born in Nyahururu, Laikipia County, a town in the Rift Valley, about 150 kilometres northwest of the capital, Nairobi.

Samuel Wanjiru dropped out of school aged about 12, because they could not afford the school fees.

Samuel Wanjiru had success on the Japanese cross country circuit, where he won the Fukuoka International Cross Country at sixteen years old in 2003.

Samuel Wanjiru went on to win in both Fukuoka and at the Chiba International Cross Country consecutively in 2004 and 2005.

Samuel Wanjiru had a 5000 m best of 13:12.40, run as a 17-year-old in April 2004 in Hiroshima, Japan.

At age 18, Samuel Wanjiru broke the half marathon world record on 11 September 2005 in the Rotterdam Half Marathon with a time of 59:16 minutes, officially beating Paul Tergat's half-marathon record of 59:17 minutes.

Samuel Wanjiru took back the half-marathon world record, which Haile Gebrselassie broke in early 2006, with 58:53 minutes on 9 February 2007 at the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon and improved it to 58:33 on 17 March 2007 in the City-Pier-City Loop in The Hague, Netherlands.

Samuel Wanjiru made his marathon debut at Fukuoka Marathon on 2 December 2007, winning it impressively with a course record of 2:06:39.

Samuel Wanjiru started 2008 by winning the Zayed International Half Marathon and receiving a prize of US$300,000.

Samuel Wanjiru received the AIMS World Athlete of the Year Award that year in recognition of his performances.

Samuel Wanjiru was pleased with the achievement and stated that he hoped to break Haile Gebrselassie's world record in the near future.

In October 2009, Samuel Wanjiru won the Chicago Marathon in a time of 2:05:41, setting a new course record for the city and the fastest marathon time ever run in the United States.

Samuel Wanjiru chose to run at the 2010 Chicago Marathon in October, but a stomach virus before the race had harmed his preparations and he entered the competition with the lesser aim of reaching the top three.

Tsegaye Kebede took the opportunity to forge a lead, but Samuel Wanjiru persevered with the pace and caught up with the Ethiopian.

Samuel Wanjiru married Mary Wacera, a fellow long-distance runner, in 2009 and the two had a child in 2010.

Samuel Wanjiru had previously married Triza Njeri in a traditional ceremony and had two children, although Wanjiru and Wacera's marriage was legally binding.

Samuel Wanjiru began drinking alcohol when he moved to Japan, and it increased and became a major part of his life.

In December 2010, Samuel Wanjiru was arrested by Kenyan police at his house in Nyahururu and charged with threatening to kill his wife and illegally possessing an AK-47 rifle.

Samuel Wanjiru denied both the accusations and claimed that he was being framed.

Samuel Wanjiru had a third wife, Judy Wambui Wairimu, who was pregnant when he died and has since had a son.

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

On 15 May 2011, Samuel Wanjiru died from a fall off a balcony at his home in Nyahururu.

Samuel Wanjiru appeared to have suffered internal injuries after the fall and was confirmed dead by doctors at a nearby hospital after attempts to revive him failed.

Samuel Wanjiru locked the couple in the bedroom and ran outside.

Police were unsure if Samuel Wanjiru intended suicide or jumped out of rage, and investigated the circumstances related to Njeri and his female companion that led to his death.

Samuel Wanjiru's mother claimed at an inquest into his death that her son was murdered by six men who had conspired with his wife Trizah Njeri.