Joseph Nzau
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | |
Joseph Nzau (born April 14, 1949) is a
Running career
Early life
Nzau was a late bloomer who did not take up running until the age of 25. He was subsequently recruited by the University of Wyoming on an athletic scholarship when he was 28, along with a few other Kenyans.
Collegiate
Nzau attended the
Post-collegiate
In 1983, Nzau was the first Kenyan to win in a world-class marathon when he won the 1983 Chicago Marathon. A year later, Nzau finished 7th overall in the men's marathon at the 1984 Summer Olympics. In addition to the marathon, Nzau finished 14th of 16 finishers in the men's 10,000 metres at the same competition. He twice won the Bix 7; Davenport, Iowa, in 1983, 7 miles in a time of 33:10, winning again in 1987 in 33:24.[1]In 1990, Nzau won the inaugural Belgrade Marathon.
Personal
Nzau's grandson Elijah Mwangangi Saolo, is a competitive distance and marathon runner.[5][6]
Notes
Achievements
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing  Kenya
| |||||
| 1982 | Chicago Marathon | Chicago, United States | 2nd | Marathon | 2:11:40 |
| 1983 | Chicago Marathon | Chicago, United States | 1st | Marathon | 2:09:44 |
| 1984 | Los Angeles Marathon | Los Angeles, United States
|
2nd | Marathon | 2:10:40 |
| Olympic Games | Los Angeles, United States
|
14th | 10,000 m | 28:32.57
| |
| 7th | Marathon | 2:11:28 | |||
| 1990 | Belgrade Marathon | FR Yugoslavia
|
1st | Marathon | 2:19:32 |
References
- ^ a b c Don Doxsie (July 15, 2016). "Quad City Times: Nzau blazed a path for Kenyans who followed". Retrieved October 20, 2018.
- ^ .
- ^ [1] PDF: 1979 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships - May 29-June 2, 1979
- ^ [2] Joseph N. Nzau - University of Wyoming Athletics Hall of Fame
- ^ "Illinois man unexpectedly wins marathon after 2 leaders take wrong route". USA TODAY.
- ^ "Elijah SAOLO | Profile | World Athletics". worldathletics.org.
External links
- Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Joseph Nzau". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2020-04-18.
