Jonathan Ndiku

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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

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
.

Career

Youth and junior career

Born in

youth category athlete.[5] His flat speed also improved, as he won the 1500 metres at the Commonwealth Youth Games that year.[6] He also competed in Japan that year. After signing up with the Hitachi Cable corporate running team,[7] 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.[8]

He won the steeplechase title at the

running spikes in the first half of the race.[9] Returning to Japanese track for Hitachi Cable, he won the 1500 m title at the All-Japan Corporate Track and Field Championships in a personal best of 3:41.83 minutes and was runner-up over 5000 m with another best time of 13:11.99 minutes. In addition, he set a 10,000 m best of 27:37.72 minutes in October – a time which ranked him in the top 25 that year.[10][11]

He opened 2010 with a 1500 m win at the

Albert Kiptoo Yator. This made Ndiku the first athlete to defend the title in the competition's history. Having extended his country's winning streak in the event since 1986, he remarked "This race is our culture. It's a Kenyan race."[14] Success also came in flat races that year as he won both the 1500 m and 5000 m Japan Corporate Championship titles, including a personal best of 3:39.27 minutes.[10]

Senior career

Ndiku began to establish himself as a steeplechaser in the senior ranks in 2011.

Meeting Areva ranked him in the top 25 for the event.[10] He gained his first senior selection for Kenya at the 2013 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, but failed to finish the race.[17] He completed a Japanese Corporate double over the 5000 m and 3000 m steeplechase, but his season's best time of 8:18.78 minutes was not an improvement on the previous year for the 22-year-old.[10]

In the

2014 season Ndiku emerged as a top senior level athlete. In the steeplechase he opened with a run of 8:10.72 minutes (his fastest time since 2011) which brought him third place at the IAAF World Challenge Beijing behind Paul Kipsiele Koech and Jairus Birech.[18] He followed this with a runner-up finish at the national championships (behind Birech) and a top three finish at the Athletissima Diamond League meeting.[19] He was chosen for the 2014 Commonwealth Games and was the least favoured entrant of the Kenyan team behind world-leader Birech and reigning world and Olympic champion Ezekiel Kemboi. However, Ndiku completed an upset by keeping with the pair before pulling ahead in the final lap to win the gold medal in a Games record time of 8:10.44 minutes.[20]

Personal bests

References

  1. ^ Jonathan Ndiku. Glasgow2014. Retrieved on 2 August 2014.
  2. ^ a b Halford, Paul (14 July 2008). Ndiku's crash-course does the trick. IAAF. Retrieved on 2 August 2014.
  3. ^ Boys 2000m Steeplechase Final. IAAF (13 July 2007). Retrieved on 2 August 2014.
  4. ^ 3000 Metres Steeplechase – men – senior – outdoor – 2008. IAAF. Retrieved on 2 August 2014.
  5. ^ Minshull, Phil (12 July 2013). Kahsay confidence takes the Ethiopian teenager into new territory. IAAF. Retrieved on 2 August 2014.
  6. ^ Ndiku, Kirani, Nachula score fluent victories – Commonwealth Youth Games, Day Two. IAAF (16 October 2008). Retrieved on 2 August 2014.
  7. ^ Larner, Brett (30 November 2008). Time Trials Japanese Style Pt. II: The National Long Distance Meet in Tokyo. Japan Running News. Retrieved on 2 August 2014.
  8. ^ Jonathan Muia Ndiku. IAAF. Retrieved on 2 August 2014.
  9. ^ Ouma, Mark (30 July 2009). Ndiku and Cherono prevail – African junior champs, Day 1. IAAF. Retrieved on 2 August 2014.
  10. ^ a b c d Jonathan Ndiku. Tilastopaja. Retrieved on 2 August 2014.
  11. ^ 10,000 Metres – men – senior – outdoor – 2009. IAAF. Retrieved on 2 August 2014.
  12. ^ Japanese 100m record for Fukushima in Hiroshima, world leading 27:15.73 for Thuo in Kobe. IAAF (30 April 2010). Retrieved on 2 August 2014.
  13. ^ Omogbeja, Yomi (27 June 2010). JELIMO out, JEPKOSGEI, RUDISHA, MATELONG wins at Kenyan Championships. Athletics Africa. Retrieved on 2 August 2014.
  14. ^ Ndiku retains title as Kenyan Steeplechase tradition continues. IAAF (25 July 2010). Retrieved on 2 August 2014.
  15. ^ Jalava, Mirko (27 December 2011). 2011 – End of Year Reviews – Long Distance, Track. IAAF. Retrieved on 2 August 2014.
  16. ^ 3000 Metres Steeplechase – men – senior – outdoor – 2011. IAAF. Retrieved on 2 August 2014.
  17. ^ Jonathan Ndiku. IAAF. Retrieved on 2 August 2014.
  18. ^ World Challenge Beijing 2014 Men's Steeplechase. IAAF. Retrieved on 2 August 2014.
  19. ^ Kenya championships, Nairobi 5-7/06/2014. Africathle. Retrieved on 2 August 2014.
  20. ^ Broadbent, Chris (1 August 2014). Bolt lights up Glasgow and Australia take three gold medals at the Commonwealth Games. IAAF. Retrieved on 2 August 2014.

External links

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