Riwo is a village near Kabarnet in the Baringo County , Kenya . It is part of Kabarnet municipality.
37-597: It is the birthplace of famous Kenyan runner Paul Tergat . The local primary school is supported by the World Food Programme . There is also a village called Riwo in West Pokot County and Trans-Nzoia County . This Rift Valley Province location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Paul Tergat Paul Kibii Tergat (born 17 June 1969) is a Kenyan former professional long distance runner . He became
74-582: A beautician, had a daughter Anne Wanjiru and a son Simon Njoroge. Wanjiru also had a third wife, Judy Wambui Wairimu, who was pregnant when he died and has since had a son. Wanjiru's cousin Joseph Riri was a world-class marathon runner, and Wanjiru's younger brother Simon Njoroge was also a long-distance runner. On 15 May 2011, Wanjiru died from a fall off a balcony at his home in Nyahururu. Wanjiru appeared to have suffered internal injuries after
111-478: A major part of his life. Despite that, his marathoning career continued successfully, though his personal life became somewhat chaotic. In December 2010, Wanjiru was arrested by Kenyan police at his house in Nyahururu and charged with threatening to kill his wife and illegally possessing an AK-47 rifle. He denied both the accusations and claimed that he was being framed. Wanjiru and his wife Triza Njeri,
148-547: A new interim committee to oversee Athletics Kenya (AK) after rumours surfaced that the Sports Cabinet Secretary, Hassan Wario , would soon dissolve AK. Samuel Wanjiru Samuel Kamau Wanjiru (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
185-689: A news conference when asked about the phone call. "Paul is my friend." He expressed a desire to compete in 2008 Olympics , but was not selected to represent Kenya. He finished 4th in the New York Marathon later that year. In 2009, he won the Lake Biwa Marathon in Japan, timing 2:10:22. In October 2009, he was the guest of honour at the relaunch of the Belgrade Race Through History . Although he never won
222-513: 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 Wanjiru 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, daughter of Samuel Kamau. Wanjiru took his mother's given name as
259-643: A surname, because she was a single mother. He dropped out of school aged about 12, because they could not afford the school fees. Wanjiru started running at the age of 8. In 2002, he moved to Japan and went to Sendai Ikuei Gakuen High School in Sendai . He had success on the Japanese cross country circuit, where he won the Fukuoka International Cross Country at sixteen years old in 2003. He went on to win in both Fukuoka and at
296-479: A time of 2:06:24. "It was the greatest surprise I have ever seen in my life", remarked his coach, Federico Rosa, on the performance. Wanjiru married Mary Wacera , a fellow long-distance runner, in 2009 and the two had a child (Ann) in 2010. He had previously married Triza Njeri in a traditional ceremony and had two children, although Wanjiru and Wacera's marriage was legally binding. Wanjiru began drinking alcohol when he moved to Japan, and it increased and became
333-457: The 1996 Atlanta Olympics and the 2000 Sydney Olympics , he was defeated by Gebrselassie by slim margins. In 2000, the margin of victory was only nine-hundredths of a second. Tergat finished second to Gebrselassie in the 1997 and 1999 World Championships in Athletics at 10,000 m, and finished third in the 1995 version of that race, behind Gebrselassie and Moroccan Khalid Skah . On
370-551: The Baringo Half Marathon , setting up the professional race on a course near his home town. A week prior to the London Marathon on 23 April 2006, Tergat pulled a calf muscle. Calling the injury "cruel," he was forced to withdraw from the star-studded race, which would have featured a long-awaited showdown with Haile Gebrselassie. The race was won by Felix Limo of Kenya. Marílson Gomes dos Santos won
407-495: The Berlin Marathon . That is an average pace of 0:02:57 per kilometre (20.3 km/h) or 0:04:46 per mile (12.6 MPH). In his world record race, Tergat badly abraded his foot. He later said it felt like the sole of his shoe fell off. He also took a momentary wrong turn near the finish. Tergat's countryman Sammy Korir , who was a pacesetter for the race, nearly caught up to him. Korir took second place in 2:04:56, then
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#1732801809072444-649: The Chiba International Cross Country consecutively in 2004 and 2005. After graduating in 2005, he joined the Toyota Kyūshū athletics team, coached by 1992 Olympic marathon silver medalist Koichi Morishita . Wanjiru had a 5000 m best of 13:12.40, run as a 17-year-old in April 2004 in Hiroshima , Japan. At age 18, Wanjiru broke the half marathon world record on 11 September 2005 in
481-550: The City-Pier-City Loop in The Hague , Netherlands . While improving his own record, he recorded an unofficial time of 55:31 for 20 km, which was faster than Haile Gebrselassie's world record but was never ratified due to the timing methods in the race. Wanjiru made his marathon debut at Fukuoka Marathon on 2 December 2007, winning it impressively with a course record of 2:06:39. He started 2008 by winning
518-618: The Rotterdam Half Marathon with a time of 59:16 minutes, officially beating Paul Tergat 's half-marathon record of 59:17 minutes. This was preceded two weeks earlier by a bettering of the 10,000 m world junior record by a margin of almost 23 seconds in the IAAF Golden League Van Damme Memorial Race on 26 August. His WJR time of 26:41.75 was good enough for third place in the race behind Kenenisa Bekele 's world record, set in
555-556: The Zayed International Half Marathon and receiving a prize of US$ 300,000. In the 2008 London Marathon , he came in second, breaking 2:06 for the first time. In the 2008 Summer Olympics, Wanjiru won the marathon gold medal in an Olympic record time of 2:06:32, smashing the previous record of 2:09:21 set by Carlos Lopes of Portugal in the 1984 Olympics. He received the AIMS World Athlete of
592-448: The 2006 New York City Marathon ; Tergat finished third. Gomes made a move at mile 19 and Tergat did not respond. Tergat steadily closed the gap over the final five miles. Tergat finished sixth (2:08:06) at the 2007 London Marathon in April 2007. The entry list was competitive, including Ethiopian legend Haile Gebrselassie , who dropped out just past the 30-K mark. Kenya's Martin Lel won
629-552: The 2007 version with Tergat being the only one of them to finish. He became an IOC member at the 125th IOC Session in Buenos Aires in September 2013. Tergat finished second in his first three marathons: London Marathon in 2001 and 2002 and Chicago Marathon in 2001. He continued marathoning by two fourth places: Chicago 2002 and London 2003. He set the marathon world record of 2:04:55 , on 28 September 2003 at
666-588: The 2010 Chicago Marathon in October, but a stomach virus before the race had harmed his preparations and he entered the competition with the lesser aim of reaching the top three. Tsegaye Kebede took the opportunity to forge a lead, but Wanjiru (despite a lack of peak physical form) persevered with the pace and caught up with the Ethiopian. He took the lead in the final 400 m to defend his title in Chicago with
703-459: The Milimani law court that she believes her son was murdered. His mother claimed at an inquest into his death that her son was murdered by six men who had conspired with his wife Trizah Njeri. During the inquest at the Milimani court that sought to establish whether Wanjiru was murdered or jumped to his death, a former chief government pathologist said he was convinced that Wanjiru was hit by
740-608: The Stramilano half marathon in 1996, but a misplaced cone made the course slightly too short and no record was allowed.) The previous record, 59:47 minutes was set by Moses Tanui in 1993. Tergat's world record was broken in 2005 by Samuel Wanjiru , another Kenyan. When Tergat raced Gebrselassie in the London Marathon in 2002, it was Tergat who beat Gebrselassie; Tergat was in second place behind then world record holder Khalid Khannouchi . The three runners raced again in
777-613: The United States. The wins in London and Chicago helped him reach the top of the World Marathon Majors rankings for 2009, earning him a jackpot of US$ 500,000. He signed up to defend his title at the 2010 London Marathon , but he encountered knee trouble at the midway point of the race and decided to drop out to avoid further injury – the first time in six marathons that he had failed to finish. He chose to run at
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#1732801809072814-646: The Year Award that year in recognition of his performances. At the Granollers Half Marathon in February 2008, in which Wanjiru won, the Kenyan stated his intent for the future, saying, "in five years' time I feel capable of clocking a sub 2 hours time for the marathon." In April 2009, Wanjiru won the London Marathon in a time of 2:05:10, a new personal record and also a new course record. He
851-634: The annual Sportsman of the Year Awards in Kenya in conjunction with Safaricom , a leading mobile telephony provider in Kenya. He's also considering launching a clothing line under the name "Tergat" in the coming months. Like many other Kenyan athletes, Tergat is enlisted to Armed Forces . He is based at the Moi Air Base in Nairobi . As of April 2015, Tergat was linked with the role of leading
888-414: The competition in the late 1990s, he was the only competitor to run in all of the first four editions and never finished outside of the top three. He stated his desire to close his career at the race and praised the way it promoted Serbia 's cultural heritage. He was named by New York Road Runners as the recipient of the 2010 Abebe Bikila Award in recognition of his long-distance achievements, becoming
925-580: The fall and was confirmed dead by doctors at a nearby hospital after attempts to revive him failed. Police said Wanjiru's wife, Triza Njeri, had come home to find him in bed with another woman. She locked the couple in the bedroom and ran outside. Wanjiru then died after falling from the balcony. Police were unsure if Wanjiru intended suicide or jumped out of rage, and investigated the circumstances related to Njeri and his female companion that led to his death. In May 2017, while testifying during an inquest into Wanjiru's death, his mother Hannah Wanjiru said at
962-436: The first Kenyan male winner. In his acceptance he said "The history of marathon running is incomplete without the solid and indelible mark of the late Abebe Bikila 's contribution, and I am so proud to be associated [with this]". "+" indicates mark set en route during a longer race "a" indicates course slightly downhill In January 2004 Tergat was named a UN World Food Programme (WFP) "Ambassador Against Hunger". When he
999-429: The first Kenyan man to set the world record in the marathon in 2003, with a time of 2:04:55, and is regarded as one of the most accomplished long-distance runners of all time. Runnerworld called him the "Most comprehensive runner of all time". Towards the end of his career, he concentrated exclusively on the marathon . Tergat set several world records and won many titles on the track, in cross country , and on
1036-469: The marathon. He became the youngest gold medallist in the marathon since 1932. He set the current (as of 2020) 10,000m World Junior Record in 2005 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. He retained his Chicago title in 2010 in
1073-531: The race in a time of 2:07.42, after a dramatic, gutsy finish. On 30 September 2007 Ethiopian long distance runner Haile Gebrselassie broke Tergat's record marathon time of 2:04.55, finishing the Berlin Marathon in 2:04:26. Moments after finishing the race, Gebrselassie apologised to his friend Tergat for breaking the record, during a congratulatory phone call. Gebrselassie later explained "I am sorry – this record belonged to Paul Tergat," Gebrselassie told
1110-513: The road. He lives and trains in Eldoret , Kenya. Paul Tergat was born on 17 June 1969 in Riwo , Baringo District , in Kenya's Rift Valley Province . He attended Riwo Primary School and later joined Kapkawa Boys High School. Unlike many athletes, Tergat realised his talent after graduating high school. Tergat won five straight IAAF World Cross Country Championships titles, 1995 to 1999 , which
1147-528: The same race, of 26:17.53 and Boniface Kiprop 's 26:39.77. It was Kiprop who held the previous world junior mark (27:04.00 minutes), set at the same meeting the previous year. The run saw 6 runners going under 27 minutes Wanjiru took back the half-marathon world record, which Haile Gebrselassie broke in early 2006, with 58:53 minutes on 9 February 2007 at the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon and improved it to 58:33 on 17 March 2007 in
Riwo - Misplaced Pages Continue
1184-678: The second-fastest marathon performance in history. Tergat's world record was broken in 2007 by Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia. Tergat's time remained the Kenyan record until 2009, when winner Duncan Kibet and 2nd placed James Kwambai both timed 2:04:27 at the Rotterdam Marathon Tergat won the New York City Marathon 6 November 2005, in a thrilling sprint finish through New York's Central Park , prevailing over defending champion Hendrick Ramaala 2:09:29.90 to 2:09:30.22. That year, Tergat inaugurated
1221-509: The track, Tergat broke Gebrselassie's 10,000-metre world record on 22 August 1997 in Brussels with a time of 26:27.85 minutes. The record was broken again by Gebrselassie in 1998 (time 26:22:75), but Tergat's time remains a Kenyan record (as of 2024). On the road, Tergat broke the half marathon world record on 4 April 1998 in Milan by running in 59:17 minutes. (Tergat had run 58:51 minutes at
1258-650: The traditional Saint Silvester Road Race , the most important event in Latin American street racing . He holds the record for the present 15 km distance, which he established in 1995. His performances in the Saint Silvester race earned him celebrity status in Brazil . He has had an intense rivalry with his friend Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia . In the Olympic Games 10,000m finals of both
1295-560: Was a child, Paul Tergat's family was too poor to send him to school with food. According to Tergat, he would not have gotten a full education were it not for the World Food Program, which provided lunch at his school. Tergat set up the Paul Tergat Foundation in 2005. It is meant to help disadvantaged Kenyan sportspeople. He runs a Sports Marketing and PR company known as Fine Touch Communications (organises
1332-563: Was a record. Says Tergat, "Cross country is what I always liked most. It was my world, my passion. Before the IAAF introduced the short course in 1998 , all the world class athletes from 1500 m to the marathon were in the same race." He won the Lisbon Half Marathon in 2000, setting a new course record and personal best of 59:06. He won the race again in 2005 with a time of 59:10. Tergat's achievements also include 5 victories in
1369-551: Was pleased with the achievement and stated that he hoped to break Haile Gebrselassie's world record in the near future. At the Rotterdam Half Marathon, Wanjiru clocked a 1:01:08 on 13 September, which was won by Sammy Kitwara with a time of 58:58. In October 2009, Wanjiru won the Chicago Marathon in a time of 2:05:41, setting a new course record for the city and the fastest marathon time ever run in
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