Kenya's Olympic marathon gold medalist passes on

KiN Sports

Kenya's Olympic marathon gold medalist, Samuel Wanjiru (24) died this morning in Nyahururu. The athlete is reported to have jumped from the second-floor balcony of his house late Sunday and sustained injuries that are believed to have led to his death.

According to the police, Samuel jumped from the balcony after his wife caught him in the company of another woman in their Nyahururu home. The wife (Tereza Njeri) is said to have returned home unexpectedly and found Samuel and another woman together. It is further stated that the wife locked the two in a bedroom on the second floor prior to the futile accident.

Samuel Wanjiru was the first Kenyan Olympic marathon champion who also set a new record at the Beijing Games in 2008. At 21, he was the youngest gold medal winner of the Olympic marathon since 1932.

Kenya has lost a great athlete who was already set for the 2012 London Olympics. The remains of Wanjiru are at a Nyahururu funeral home and the police are still investigating the case.