Marathon Champ’s Death Remains A Mystery

Marathon Champ’s Death Remains A Mystery, Samuel Wanjiru’s absence will be felt when the best long-distance runners in the world compete Sunday. Beijing marathon gold medalist Samuel Wanjiru’s death remains a mystery, It is not particularly unusual for an Olympic champion to be unable to defend his title. Some gold medalists retire, some get injured. Some just fail to qualify after seeing their performance decline.

The absence of 2008 men’s marathon gold medalist Samuel Wanjiru is a different story.

The brilliant Kenyan, who scorched the streets of Beijing with an incredible run of 2:06:32, is not in London because he died last year after falling from a balcony at his home in Nyahururu.

Fifteen months later, Wanjiru’s death is still shrouded in mystery, a saga that is full of controversy and intrigue.

For Wanjiru’s fellow athletes, the smiling champion will be missed at the starting line for what should have been an opportunity to defend his title.

“I know we have two things to do here in London,” Kenya’s Emmanuel Mutai said. “Firstly, we have to retain the title of the late Samuel Wanjiru. Also, for the glory of yourself.”

Lauded in his homeland, Wanjiru became swept up in his fame after his Olympic triumph. He still remained the best in the world and dreamed of winning back-to-back gold medals in London. Those dreams ended on the night of May 15, 2011.