Sammy Wanjiru Receives Posthumous Honor

His widow received a cash award.

The 2008 Olympic gold medalist in the marathon, Sammy Wanjiru, was awarded posthumously by the Commonwealth Games Federation. This announcement was made this week at the Nock Annual General Meeting in Nairobi, Kenya.

Wanjiru’s specific award was the Commonwealth Sports Award for emerging runners in the Outstanding Male Athlete category in 2009. There to receive the monetary award was Wanjiru’s widow, Tereziah Njeri.

“Njeri can use the money on any project of her choice but after informing the Commonwealth Games Federation,” said Kipchoge Keino as Kenya’s representative on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board.

Njeri may use the money from the award, approximately $380, to assist with the Nyahururu Marathon that is expected to take place in May of next year. Njeri indicated that other race sponsors are Nike and Wanjiru’s former manager, Federico Rosa.

In related news, the former world-record holder in the marathon, Paul Tergat, was selected by the National Olympic Committee-Kenya to replace Keino as the IOC representative.

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