Caleb Mwangangi Ndiku (born 9 October 1992 in Machakos) is a Kenyan middle- and long-distance runner.

Career

Born in Machakos, he was the son of a

javelin throw The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about in length, is thrown. The javelin thrower gains momentum by running within a predetermined area. Javelin throwing is an event of both the men's decathlon and the wom ...

er,

David Ndiku David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

, but he decided not to follow his father and focused on running instead.Butler, Mark (2010-03-28)
Front running pays off for Ndiku – Men's Junior race report – Bydgoszcz 2010
IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-03-31. He began his career in domestic

cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open cou ...

competitions and at the

Athletics Kenya Athletics Kenya (AK) is the governing body for the sport of athletics (track and field) in Kenya. It is a member of World Athletics and Confederation of African Athletics. AK organises athletics competitions held in Kenya. It also sends Kenyan tea ...

series meeting in

Meru Meru may refer to: Geography Kenya * Meru, Kenya, a city in Meru County, Kenya ** Meru County, created by the merger of *** Meru Central District *** Meru North District *** Meru South District * Meru National Park, a Kenyan wildlife park T ...

, he took fifth place in the junior men's race at the age of sixteen. He won selection for the 2009 World Youth Championships in Athletics with a personal best run in the

1500 metres The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (typically pronounced 'fifteen-hundred metres') is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athle ...

at the Kenyan youth trials. At the championships in

Brixen Brixen (, ; it, Bressanone ; lld, Porsenù or ) is a town in South Tyrol, northern Italy, located about north of Bolzano. Geography First mentioned in 901, Brixen is the third largest city and oldest town in the province, and the artistic an ...

, he ran 3:38.42 to win the silver medal behind compatriot

Gideon Kiage Mageka Gideon (; ) also named Jerubbaal and Jerubbesheth, was a military leader, judge and prophet whose calling and victory over the Midianites are recounted in of the Book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible. Gideon was the son of Joash, from the Abie ...

. Ndiku returned to the Kenyan cross country circuit at the end of the year, and finished fourth at another Athletics Kenya series race in

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper h ...

. Ndiku earned himself a place on the Kenyan junior men's team for the

2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held at Myślęcinek Park in Bydgoszcz, Poland on 28 March 2010. It was the first time in over twenty years that Poland hosted the annual championships, having previously held them in Warsaw in ...

with a third-place finish in the junior race at the

Kenya National Cross Country Championships The Kenyan Cross Country Championships is an annual cross country running competition that serves as the national championship for Kenya. It is organised by Athletics Kenya and has permit race status from the International Association of Athletics ...

. In the world junior men's race in Bydgoszcz the following month, he formed part of the leading pack before quickening the pace to establish a significant lead. He won the junior title and also headed the Kenyan runners to the team gold as the country grabbed the top four spots. Ndiku took his second title of the year at the 2010 World Junior Championships in Athletics, where he ran a personal best of 3:37.30 minutes to win the 1500 m world junior crown. He won the Most Promising Kenyan Sportsman of the Year award at the end that December. In 2011 he started his technical collaboration with the Italian coach Renato Canova, who planned for him a strategy looking at 5000m. He began competing in senior competitions the following year and was runner-up at the Trofeo Alasport cross country in March, second only to the newly elected world champion

Imane Merga Imane Merga Jida (ኢማነ መርጋ ጂዳ) (born 15 October 1988) is an Ethiopian professional long-distance runner who specializes in the 5000 and 10,000 metres. He won his first world title at the 2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships ...

.Sampaolo, Diego (2011-03-28)
Another cross country win for World champion Merga – Alà dei Sardi report
IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-03-29. In 2014 he had a very impressive season, winning everything possible : World Indoor Championships in 3000m, Commonwealth Games (27 July) in 5000m, African Championships (14 August) in 5000m, the Diamond League in 5000m (with two victories in Eugene and Zurich), and the Continental Cup in 3000m (14 September), becoming the number one of 5000m for the ranking of Track and Field.

Competition record

¹Representing Africa

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ndiku, Caleb Mwangangi 1992 births Living people People from Machakos County Kenyan male long-distance runners Kenyan male middle-distance runners Kenyan male cross country runners Olympic athletes of Kenya Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Kenya Athletes (track and field) at the 2014 Commonwealth Games World Athletics Championships athletes for Kenya World Athletics Championships medalists African Games gold medalists for Kenya African Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Athletes (track and field) at the 2011 All-Africa Games Diamond League winners World Athletics Indoor Championships winners IAAF Continental Cup winners 21st-century Kenyan people