{{Short description|Kenyan steeplechase runner (1987 - 2020)}} {{Infobox sportsperson | name = Kennedy Njiru | birth_date = {{Birth date text|1987}}<!--{{Birth date and age|day=|month=|year=1987|df=y}}--><ref name="tilas">{{Tilastopaja|138002}}</ref> | birth_name = | full_name = Kennedy Muriithi Njiru<ref>{{cite web |title=Kenyan Athlete Dies in a Road Accident |url=https://www.dailyactive.info/2020/01/08/kenyan-athlete-dies-in-a-road-accident/ |website=Daily Active |access-date=12 November 2023 |date=8 January 2020 |archive-date=12 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231112195101/https://www.dailyactive.info/2020/01/08/kenyan-athlete-dies-in-a-road-accident/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> | image = | nationality = {{flagg|cncie|KEN}} | sport = Athletics | event = 3000 metres steeplechase | club = Kenya Defence Forces<ref name="tilas" /> | relatives = | spouse = | birth_place = | hometown = | death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|2020|01|07|1987}}<ref name="tilas" /> | death_place = Nyahururu, Kenya<ref name="death">{{cite web |last1=Okeyo |first1=Dennis |title=Athlete Njiru dies in road accident [PHOTOS] |url=https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/sports/athletics/article/2001355782/athlete-njiru-dies-in-road-accident-photos |website=The Standard |language=en}}</ref> | website = | coach = | coaching = | agent = | height = <!--{{height|cm=168}}<ref name="tilas" />--> | weight = <!--{{convert|57|kg|abbr=on}}<ref name="tilas" />--> | pb = {{ubl |'''3000mSC''': 8:18.04 (2018) |'''10K''': 28:00 (2019) }} | turnedpro = | education = | nationals = {{ubl |'''2010 Kenyan XC Champs''' |{{bull}} 12 km XC, 82nd |'''2012 Kenyan Champs''' |{{bull}} 3000mSC, 6th |'''2013 Kenyan Champs''' |{{bull}} 3000mSC, 5th |'''2014 Kenyan Champs''' |{{bull}} 3000mSC, 9th |'''2018 Kenyan Champs''' |{{bull}} 3000mSC, 3rd {{Bronze3}} |'''2019 Kenyan Champs''' |{{bull}} 3000mSC, 10th |'''2019 Worlds Trials''' |{{bull}} 3000mSC, 3rd {{Bronze3}} |'''2019 Kenyan XC Champs''' |{{bull}} 12 km XC, 35th }} }} '''Kennedy Muriithi Njiru''' (1987 {{dash}} 7 January 2020), also known as '''Kenneth Njiru''' or '''Kennedy Njiri''', was a Kenyan steeplechase and long-distance runner. With a 3000 metres steeplechase personal best of 8:18.48, he finished third place twice at the Kenyan national championships and finished highly at several major international road races and Diamond League meetings. On 7 January 2020, he died in a car accident in Kenya.
==Biography== Njiru's first national track final was in 2012, when he finished 6th in the 3000 metres steeplechase at the Kenyan Athletics Championships with a time of 8:37.2.<ref name="tilas" /> The following year, he set a personal best of 8:31.4 and improved his national placing to 5th, followed by a 9th place national finish in 2014.<ref name="tilas" />
In 2015, Njiru did not advance to the finals at the national championships in the steeplechase. However, in October that year he made his international debut on the roads, finishing 4th at the Trento Half Marathon and then six days later finishing 4th at the Giro al Sas road race in Italy.<ref name="tilas" />
Njiru ran four half marathons in 2017, improving his personal best to 1:02:19 at the Semi-Marathon International de Berkane in Morocco. On 15 October, Njiru started the Gyeongju International Marathon but did not finish.<ref name="tilas" /> In December, Njiru improved his 3000 m steeplechase personal best by one tenth of a second, running 8:31.3 to win a meeting in Machakos, Kenya.<ref name="tilas" />
Njiru made a marked improvement in 2018, choosing to focus solely on the steeplechase this year. He set a personal best of 8:24.2 to win the Kenya Defence Forces championships on 6 June, and then later that month he achieved his first national medal by finishing 3rd at the Kenyan Athletics Championships in another personal best of 8:18.48.<ref name="tilas" /> His placing earned him selection for his first Diamond League meetings, where he finished 7th at the 2018 Herculis meeting in Monaco, and 10th at the 2018 Weltklasse in Zürich. His time of 8:18.04 in Monaco would stand as his final personal best.<ref name="tilas" /> Njiru was selected to represent Kenya at the 2018 African Championships in the 3000 m steeplechase, but he was one of two athletes to not start the race.{{why|date=November 2023}}<ref>{{cite web |title=African championships, Asaba (Nigeria) 1-5/08/2018 {{!}} Africathle |url=http://www.africathle.com/2018/08/01/african-championships-asaba-nigeria-1-5082018/ |access-date=12 November 2023 |date=1 August 2018 |archive-date=24 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190424221033/http://www.africathle.com/2018/08/01/african-championships-asaba-nigeria-1-5082018/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
In his final year of competition in 2019, Njiru achieved another third-place national showing at the 2019 Kenyan World Championships Trials, as well as a 10th place showing at the separate Kenyan Athletics Championships meeting that year. From 7 to 14 May 2019, Njiru was ranked 12th in the world at steeplechase events by World Athletics.<ref>{{cite web |title=World Rankings {{!}} Men's 3000mSC (2000mSC) |url=https://worldathletics.org/world-rankings/3000msc/men?regionType=world&page=1&rankDate=2019-05-14&limitByCountry=0 |website=worldathletics.org |access-date=12 November 2023}}</ref> His 10 kilometres road time of 28:00 to finish 2nd at the Cooper River Bridge Run earned him 1,132 World Athletics Rankings points, his best score aside from his steeplechase times.<ref name="tilas" />
==Death== On Tuesday, 7 January 2020, Njiru was driving along a road connecting Nyeri to Nyahururu, towards Nyahururu.<ref name="death" /> On the drive, his sedan car collided head-on with a Toyota Land Cruiser headed in the opposite direction. According to Nyandarua County police, Njiru lost control of his own car towards the famous equator line on the road, which caused it to collide with the Land Cruiser. Three tourists of Russian origin in the Cruiser were injured from the accident and taken to the hospital in critical condition, while Njiru was proclaimed dead on the spot.<ref>{{cite web |author1=KBC Channel 1 |title=KDF athlete Kennedy Muriithi Njiru dies in a road accident |website=YouTube |date=8 January 2020 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9TtcjjQxr8 |access-date=12 November 2023 |language=en}}</ref>
His death was mourned by Athletics Kenya officials as well as steeplechase world champion Milcah Chemos, 2015 javelin world champion Julius Yego, and former marathon world record holder Patrick Makau.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tributes pour in for fallen Kenyan steeplechase runner |url=https://nation.africa/kenya/sports/athletics/tributes-pour-in-for-fallen-kenyan-steeplechase-runner--238962 |website=Nation |access-date=12 November 2023 |language=en |date=4 July 2020}}</ref>
==Personal bests== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Event !! Mark !! Competition !! Venue !! Date |- | 3000 metres steeplechase || 8:18.04 || Monaco Diamond League || Monaco || 20 July 2018 |- | 10 kilometres (road) || 28:00 || Cooper River Bridge Run || Charleston, South Carolina || 6 April 2019 |}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{World Athletics|14530691}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Njiru, Kennedy}} Category:1987 births Category:2020 deaths Category:Road incident deaths in Kenya Category:Kenyan men steeplechase runners Category:Kenyan men long-distance runners Category:Deaths of competitors in the sport of athletics Category:21st-century Kenyan sportsmen