*** Welcome to piglix ***

Jonathan Ndiku

Jonathan Ndiku
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Kenya
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2008 Bydgoszcz 3000 m s'chase
Gold medal – first place 2010 Moncton 3000 m s'chase
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 2014 Glasgow 3000 m s'chase
African Championships
Silver medal – second place 2014 Marrakech 3000 m s'chase

Jonathan Muia Ndiku (born 18 September 1991) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specialises in the 3000 metres steeplechase. He has a personal best of 8:07.75 minutes. He was the gold medallist in the event at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, where he broke the Commonwealth Games record.

As a youth Ndiku ran the fastest steeplechase time for an under-17 athlete. He went on to win back-to-back titles at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Athletics in 2008 and 2010 – the first ever to do so. He was also the African junior steeplechase champion in 2009. Based in Japan with the Hitachi Cable team, he has also represented Kenya at the 2013 IAAF World Cross Country Championships.

Born in Machakos, he began running seriously around 2004 in the hope he could make a living out of the sport. Ndiku made his international debut at the 2007 World Youth Championships in Athletics, coming fourth in the 2000 metres steeplechase event. His technique was poor and his coach, Paul Mutwii, turned to Boniface Teren, the Kenyan national steeeplechase coach, for help. Working with Teren, Ndiku's technique over the barriers greatly improved and one year later he won the gold medal at the 2008 World Junior Championships in Athletics, beating Uganda's Benjamin Kiplagat who had built up a sizeable lead in the early stages. Ndiku's winning time of 8:17.28 minutes was enough to rank the 16-year-old in the top 25 athletes in the world that year, as well as being the fastest ever recorded by a youth category athlete. His flat speed also improved, as he won the 1500 metres at the Commonwealth Youth Games that year. He also competed in Japan that year. After signing up with the Hitachi Cable corporate running team, he set track bests of 7:54.04 minutes for the 3000 metres, 13:21.17 minutes for the 5000 metres and 28:08.28 minutes for the 10,000 metres.


...
Wikipedia

...