Who is Sammy Wanjiru?

Note:

If you are keen and have queries, please contact Coach Rameshon at 9100 4369 or you can email him at m.rameshon@gmail.com or swift.rameshon@gmail.com. Please refer to website http://flexifitness.com.sg (for more information on him and his programmes)

By Rameshon
Bsc (Hons) Degree in Physical Education, Loughborough University (1992-1994)

Masters in Education (University of Western Australia, 2005-2008)

Wanjiru - The Kenyan lad who trained and excelled in Japan before staying in Kenya


Wanjiru was born on November 10, 1986, in Nyahururu. The thing about Wanjiru was not shy about discussing about his humble background, including how his parents were separated when he was five, and how his mother had to struggle to raise him. Wanjiru said “I wore my first shoe when I was in Standard Eight,” he told the Nation in an earlier interview. “My family had no means to pay for my high school education. So, probably I could be doing masonry or be doing some casual work,” said Wanjiru.

It all started when Sunish Kubayash, a Japanese athletics coach, observed a barefoot boy winning the national primary school cross country championships in Kisumu, Kenya. Seeing this, Kubayash followed the lad to Nyahururu and came forward to coach him for two years. He told the boy that if he can attain international standards they will be athletics scholarship given and Sammy could move to a Japanese high school. Wanjiru mentioned that if he had not met Kubayash he would have been a labourer or farmer in the wheat fields of Nyahuru.

Before he joined Sendai Ikuei Gakuen High School in Sendai, a specialist training cum school, he completed his primary education at  Githunguri Primary, Olkalau, in 2000, Wanjiru left for Japan in 2002 two years later. There he was trained by Mr Kubayash.

At 14, he wore his first pair of shoe called Sandak - a pair of plastic slippers. After that Wanjiru joined the Yoyota Kyushu athletics team after his education in 2005.

On September 2005, at the age of 18, Wanjiru broke the half marathon world record in Rotterdam, finishing in 59 minutes 16 seconds. Over time, in February 2007: Wanjiru broke his previous half-marathon record with a time of 58mins 53secs finish in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE. In March 2007, Wanjiru broke his half-marathon world record for a third time at the City-Pier-City-Loop, Netherlands, crossing the line in 58:33.

On 2nd December 2007, he made his first entrance in running a marathon in Fukuoka, Japan, and won the race in 2:06.39, setting a new course record in the process. In few months time, on 13th Apr 2008, he ended a runner-up in the London Marathon, finishing in 2:05.24.

On 24th August 2008, Wanjiru won gold at the Beijing Olympics, setting an Olympic record of 2:06.32 and becoming Kenya's first marathon champion. He also broke the 44-year-old record set by a Portuguese.

Picture 2 - Winning Kenya's first Olympic gold medal in the Beijing Olympics 2008  

Later on, on 26th Apr 2009, Wanjiru won London Marathon and also broke the course record and performed his career-best time of 2hr 05min.10sec. On 11th Oct 2009, he won the Chicago marathon in record time on American soil finishing in 2:05.41. A year later on 10 Oct 2010, Wanjiru won the Chicago marathon again in a time of 2hr 06min 24sec.

It was on 16 May 2011 that he died at a young age of 24, after falling from a balcony at his home in Nyahururu.


Note:

By Narayanan
Rameshon has taught in Hwa Chong Institution, plus several schools, and Republic Polytechnic as well. He has won many accolades and he was awarded Merit Award for 1991 marathon performance in breaking the national record of Singapore, at that time. He has made 22 male athletes do a marathon in sub-3hrs. He has made 7 female runners do sub-4 hours for the marathon, as well. He was inducted to the ‘Roll of Honour’  by the then College of Physical Education, organised by Singapore Olympic Academy, in 1998, for breaking the National record repeatedly 4 times, till he did 2hr 24min 22sec).

He also has a Coaching group and he trains them on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7pm at Botanic Gardens. Those interested can call him at 91004369 for coaching assistance, to improve performance. There is also personal training that he does for many in a week. You can e-mail him at swift.rameshon@gmail.com.