John Ngugi Kamau (born 10 May 1962), is a former

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires endurance, stamina as well as mental strength. Within e ...

, often called one of the greatest

cross country runner 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 coun ...

s of all time and winner of the

5000 metres The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a stan ...

at the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

, in Seoul South Korea.

Career

Born in

Kigumo Kigumo is a village in Muranga County, Kenya. Kigumo is located 15 kilometres west of Maragua town and 30 kilometres south of Othaya. Kandara, a small town, is located 10 kilometres south of Kigumo. Kigumo village is located between two other v ...

Muranga District Murang'a County is one of the counties of Kenya's former Central Province. Its largest town and capital is Murang'a, formerly referred to as Fort Hall during the colonial era. It is inhabited mainly by and is considered the home of the Giku ...

, John Ngugi's earliest international successes came at the World Cross Country Championships, where he won a record four consecutive titles between 1986 and 1989 and five titles overall. Ngugi established himself as a track runner when he won his heat of the 5000 m at the 1987 World Championships in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. In the final, Ngugi took the lead during the second kilometre, but despite his front-running tactics, he was outsprinted in the finish, finishing in a disappointing twelfth place. He won 5000 metres race in the

1987 All-Africa Games The 4th All-Africa Games were played from August 1, 1987, to August 12, 1987, in Nairobi, Kenya. 42 countries participated in fourteen sports. From the beginning the intent had been to hold the African Games every four years. Economic difficulti ...

held in Kenya. At the

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

, Ngugi took the lead after the kilometre and achieved a 50 m lead. Although his lead was reduced when the expected sprints came in the last lap, Ngugi still won by 30 metres. At the 1990

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...

Auckland, New Zealand Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

, Ngugi tried exactly the same tactics which had won him the Olympic gold medal. Although he tripped and fell after only two laps and lost 35 m on the rest of the field, he caught the leading group and establish a gap of 40 m at the bell. But in this time, that wasn't enough, as Andrew Lloyd from

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

won by a mere 0.08

second The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ...

s in an incredible finishing burst. Ngugi returned in 1992 to capture the World Cross Country title for the fifth time. That was his final appearance at a major international championship before his retirement. In 1993 Ngugi refused to take an out-of-competition drug test, and he then received a four-year suspension for the infraction. He contested the ruling, spending $80,000 of his own money to fight his case in Monaco. His ban was later reduced as it was judged that the Kenya Athletics Federation had not followed its duty of educating its athletes about out-of-competition testing and that Ngugi had a limited education. However, the long battle to contest the decision brought an end to his running career as his physical fitness had heavily declined over the period.Ex-Olympic champion Ngugi sets up a Foundation
Labatet (2009-02-29). Retrieved on 2010-09-02.

References

External links

Legends of the cross
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ngugi, John 1962 births Living people People from Murang'a County Kenyan male long-distance runners Olympic athletes of Kenya Olympic gold medalists for Kenya Athletes (track and field) at the 1988 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Kenya Athletes (track and field) at the 1990 Commonwealth Games World Athletics Championships athletes for Kenya World Athletics Cross Country Championships winners Doping cases in athletics Kenyan sportspeople in doping cases Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field) African Games gold medalists for Kenya African Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Kenyan male cross country runners Goodwill Games medalists in athletics Athletes (track and field) at the 1987 All-Africa Games Competitors at the 1990 Goodwill Games