Wanjiru, the Beijing gold medallist and Olympic record holder
Athletics this week lost one of its best and most promising runners: Kenyan Sammy Wanjiru died after a fall from his apartment balcony in his home town in Kenya. Rivals like Paul Tergat and Halle Gebrselassie are shocked and sad, like the rest of the running world.
Just over two years ago, Sammy won Olympic gold in the marathon – the first Kenyan Olympic marathon champ ever. He set an Olympic record in winning. Anyone who watched much Olympic coverage would have seen the smog blanketing the city…quite an amazing place to set a record for running 26 miles.
Since his 2008 gold, Sammy’s life hadn’t been easy. Although he was wealthier than he’d ever been before, his home life seemed volatile: incidents of domestic violence between him and his wife and a weapons charge showed that even an Olympic medal can’t always bring harmony and happiness.
RIP Sammy – we’ll miss you.
{ 2 comments }
