He pioneered the front running style in the classic 42.192km marathon distance that has seen his compatriots shatter the world marathon record an amazing four times since his death. He trained in Japan and beat the odds whereby young people can learn from and in the end, he won an Olympic gold medal. Wanjiru celebrates winning the gold during the men's marathon at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing. But Wanjiru was the man of the day – the then 21-year-old, running in only his 3rd marathon took the Olympic field and simply ran them off his heels. What cannot be questioned is his legacy to a sport that honoured his contribution by renaming the prestigious USD500,000 World Marathon Major trophy after him.

Source: Standard Digital May 13, 2021 18:28 UTC