Kenya mourns death of Sammy Wanjiru in unexplained fall from balcony - Telegraph

He was described by London Marathon race director David Bedford as the greatest male marathon runner the world has ever seen but Olympic champion Sammy Wanjiru was unable to outrun his turbulent private life.

Unfulfilled talent: Sammy Wanjiru celebrates winning the gold during the men's marathon at the Beijing 2008 Olympics Photo: PA
By Simon Hart 5:47PM BST 16 May 2011
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The athletics world was in shock on Monday after the 24 year-old, who became the first Kenyan to win an Olympic marathon in Beijing three years ago, leapt to his death from a first-floor balcony at his luxury house in the Rift Valley town of Nyahururu.
According to regional police chief Jaspher Ombati, Wanjiru’s wife, Triza Njeri, had returned home unexpectedly in the early hours to discover her husband in bed with another woman. It is understood she locked the pair inside and left the house.
Minutes later Wanjiru was dead after jumping from a balcony, plunging six metres and apparently striking his head on the concrete floor below.
“It is not yet clear whether it was a suicide or if he jumped out of rage, or what caused him to fall to the ground,” Ombati said.
“He jumped from his first-floor balcony to the ground. He was bleeding from the nose and the mouth, and may have suffered internal injuries.”
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Wanjiru’s Italian agent, Federico Rosa, told CNN World Sport on Monday, that he was “100 per cent certain” that the athlete had not committed suicide, insisting that he had seemed happy and relaxed when he spoke to him over the weekend.
Investigations into the circumstances of his death were continuing on Monday as police interviewed Njeri and Wanjiru’s unnamed female companion.
But the athlete was no stranger to domestic bust-ups, having been charged with the attempted murder of Njeri in December after allegedly assaulting her and threatening to kill her with an AK-47 assault rifle.
The pair were later reconciled and the allegations were withdrawn, as was a charge of wounding a security guard by hitting him in the face with the butt of the rifle. However, a charge of illegal possession of a firearm was still outstanding and was due to be heard next week.
To add to Wanjiru’s problems, he had also been involved in a car accident on the Nairobi-Nyahururu road in January, rolling his four-wheel drive vehicle several times while trying to avoid an oncoming truck. He was forced to pull out of last month’s Virgin London Marathon, citing a knee injury.
Wanjiru’s tempestuous private life was at odds with the polite, mild-mannered figure he cut during his media appearances at the big-city marathons.
But during races he was an aggressive competitor, launching attack after attack to try to break the resolve of his opponents. His greatest moment came in Beijing, when he ran away from his rivals to claim the gold medal in 2hr 06min 32sec — a remarkable time given the absence of pacemakers and the intense heat and humidity in the Chinese capital.
Many observers believed it was only a matter of time before he lowered Haile Gebrselassie’s world record of 2-03-59. Their showdown on the streets of London next year was set to be one of the highlights of the 2012 Games.
The year after his Olympic victory, Wanjiru won the London Marathon in what was then a course record of 2-05-10, and he also triumphed twice in Chicago, the last time in a thrilling duel with Ethiopia’s Tsegaye Kebede in October.
His big-city successes brought him two overall World Marathon Majors titles, earning him an extra million dollars in prize money.
Bedford said Wanjiru’s death was a sad day for London — the Kenyan also finished runner-up in the capital in 2008 — and promised to create a lasting memorial to honour his contribution to the event.
“Like the rest of the world of athletics, and in particular marathon running, I am absolutely shocked to the core,” said Bedford.
“Samuel was, in my opinion, the greatest marathon runner that we have ever seen. That’s based on his amazing performance at the Olympics but also the fact that he then went on to win two Chicago Marathons and one London Marathon.
“He was viewed by most people in the game as the person most likely to break Haile Gebrselassie’s world record. He was a class athlete and a class human being. He had a great amount of fun in his character and was kind and generous with his time. He will be sadly missed.”
Gebrselassie, winner of Sunday’s Bupa Great Manchester Run, posted several tweets expressing his sadness at his young rival’s death. “I am totally shocked by the death of Sammy Wanjiru,” he wrote, adding: “Of course one wonders if we as an athletics family could have avoided this tragedy.”
In a statement, Kenyan prime minister Raila Odinga said: “Wanjiru’s death is not only a loss to his family and friends but to Kenya as a whole and the entire world athletics fraternity.
“As an athletics nation, we looked forward to a sterling performance in the Olympic Games in London next year. Mr Wanjiru was one of our sure bets for gold in the contest. His death is therefore a big blow to our dreams.”

Kenya triumphs in Ethiopian race Daily Nation

limo Kimutai clocked one hour, three minutes and 10 seconds to finish ahead of Gishu Duda of Ethiopia (1:03:54).. Photo/ FILE

By NATION REPORTER and EME News

Posted Monday, May 2 2011 at 19:32

Kenyans took the battle to the backyard of their equally illustrious Ethiopians at the weekend when Kiplimo Kimutai broke the course record in winning the second edition of the Every One Half Marathon in Hawassa.

The Kenyan armed forces 10,000 metres champion clocked one hour, three minutes and 10 seconds to finish ahead of Gishu Duda of Ethiopia (1:03:54).

The women’s race came down to a sprint finish and was won by Ethiopian Sisay Measo in 1:16:41.

The races took place at an altitude of 1,700 metres above sea level with temperatures rising to above 30 degrees towards the end of the morning.

World marathon record holder and distance running legend, Haile Gebrselassie, present at the race and who spoke at the pre-race media events, started the races and presented prizes to the winners.

He was accompanied by Gebregziabher Gebremariam, the reigning New York Marathon champion, Shiferaw Shigute, the President of the Southern Region and the Hawassa City mayor.

The Every One campaign aims to achieve reduction in newborn, child and maternal mortality in Ethiopia.

Elsewhere, Kenyans completed a double at the Globus Marathon in St Wendel, Germany. Wilson Melly clocked 2:19:24 to win the men’s race and Esther Macharia (2:41:52) won the women’s race.

There were more Kenyan wins in the Italian cities of Merano, Benevento and also in Puy (France), Spokane (USA) and Vancouver (Canada).

At Merano, Edwin Kipyego won the 18th Half Marathon in 1:04:11 with Moroccan Soumiya Labani (1:13:51) taking the women’s title.

At the 20th edition of Strabenevento road race in Benevento, Ezekiel Meli clocked 28:49 beating Italians Ottavio Andriani (30:40) and Cosimo Calliandro (31:00).

There was another Moroccan winner, Meryem Lamachi (34:11).In Puy, Ethiopian Dino Sefir won the 29th edition of the 15-kilometre road race clocking 43:57. Kenyan Sarah Chepchirchir was the best woman with 50:28.

In Vancouver, Bernard Onsare won the Bank of Montreal Vancouver Marathon in 2:19:59. Keddi-Anne Sherbino was the first woman to cross the finish line in 2:43:00.

Meanwhile in Spokane, Kenyan Simon Ndirangu used a final sprint to the finish line to win the men’s elite race in the 35th Lilac Bloomsday Run.

Ndirangu unofficially ran a time of 33:57, just six seconds off the Bloomsday record. It was Ndirangu’s second Bloomsday after running in 2007.

Merga and Dibaba sweep for Ethiopia in- Yangzhouiaaf.org-

Deriba Merga takes down a strong field in the RAK Half (Victah Sailer)

Deriba Merga takes down a strong field in the RAK Half (Victah Sailer)
The Ethiopian favourites did not disappoint in Yangzhou Jianzhen International Half Marathon, an IAAF Silver Label Road Race on Sunday

In the men’s race Ras Al Khaimah winner from this February in 59:24, Deriba Merga, was fastest as expected. The 28-year-old, who placed fourth in Beijing at the Olympic Games Marathon in 2008, emerged as a clear winner in 1:01:10. Merga, who raced in China for the first time in his career, was also fourth in Udine at the 2007 World Half Marathon Championships.

South African Steven Mokoka, 26, took second place in 1:01:42 getting close to his two-year-old personal best of 1:01:26. Mokoka’s best accomplishment is eighth place at the 2009 World Half Marathon Championships in Birmingham.

In third place Zimbabwean Wirimayi Juwawo clocked 1:01:47 missing his PB by just nine seconds. Kenyans Jonathan Maiyo and Robert Kirui finished fourth and fifth respectively timed 1:02:28 and 1:02:44. The best Chinese athlete was Zhang Zhongji, who lowered his personal best down to 1:03:35 in seventh place.

Another pre-race favourite Mare Dibaba, also from Ethiopia, easily won the women’s race in a fast 1:09:41. The 21-year-old got close to her season’s best 1:08:57, which brought her third place in Ras Al Khaimah. Dibaba has a curious detail in her past as she represented Azerbaijan for 10 months in 2009 before returning back to Ethiopia. Kenyan Susan Tanui was second with a big personal best 1:11:07 cutting more than four minutes off her previous best.

The best Chinese athlete was in place three as 21-year-old Hao Xiaofan clocked 1:11:43, just outside her 1:11:24 PB from the 2009 edition of this same Half Marathon in Yangzhou. Just 16 years old, Liu Zhuang was fourth in 1:12:31 in her début and another junior, 19-year-old Cao Mojie was fifth in 1:13:23 missing her PB from December 2010 by three seconds. Kenyan Emily Samoei was sixth clocking 1:13:37.

Mirko Jalava for the IAAF