Samuel Wanjiru
Sign in to saveKenyan athlete (1986–2011)
Person
- Born
- 1986-11-10
- Died
- 2011-05-15
via Open Library + Wikidata
Key facts
- 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 m (5 ft 4 in)
- Weight
- 52 kg (115 lb)
- Sport
- Running
- Event s
- Half marathon , marathon
- Personal bests
- 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) Olympic Marathon : 2:06:32 ( Beijing 2008)
via Wikipedia infobox
Key dates
- Born
- 10 November 1986
- Died
- 15 May 2011
via Wikidata · CC0
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- human
- Given name
- Samuel
- Gender
- male
- Citizenship
- Kenya
- Place of birth
- Nyahururu
- Place of death
- Nyahururu
- Occupation
- marathon runner
- Languages spoken
- English language
- Participant in
- 2008 Summer Olympics
- Sport
- athletics
Article
Samuel Kamau Wanjirū (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 held the 10,000m U20 World Record from 2005 until 2024 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.
Connections
Categories
1986 births2011 deaths21st-century Kenyan sportsmenAthletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer OlympicsChicago Marathon men winnersDeaths from fallsDeaths of competitors in the sport of athleticsKenyan expatriate sportspeople in JapanKenyan men long-distance runnersKenyan men marathon runnersKikuyu peopleLondon Marathon men winners