Origins & Early Life

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.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

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. Samuel Wanjirū was born in Nyahururu, Laikipia County, a town in the Rift Valley, about 150 kilometres (93 mi) northwest of the capital, Nairobi. and was brought up with his brother Simon Njoroge in poverty by his mother Hannah Wanjiru, the daughter of Samuel Kamau. Wanjirū took his mother's given name as a surname, because she was a single mother.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

He dropped out of school aged around 12 because they could not afford...

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