Nabiba Naftali Temu (20 April 1945 – 10 March 2003) was a Kenyan long-distance runner. He became Kenya's first gold medalist when he won the

10,000 metres The 10,000 metres or the 10,000-metre run is a common long-distance track running event. The event is part of the athletics programme at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships, and is common at championship level events. The ra ...

race at the

1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and commonly known as Mexico 1968 ( es, México 1968), were an international multi-sport eve ...

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...

Biography

Temu started systematic training in long-distance running at the age of 14. After completing school education, he served at the Kenyan Army.Daily Nation, March 11, 2003
Kenya's track hero Temu dies aged 58
/ref> At the 1964 Olympics he was 49th in the marathonMen Marathon Olympic Games 1964 Tokyo (JPN) – Wednesday 21.10
Todor66.com. and failed to finish his 10,000 m race.
sports-reference.com He won the silver medal in 5,000 m at the inaugural All-Africa Games in 1965, behind compatriot Kipchoge Keino. At the 1966 Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica, he beat the

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organization ...

holder

Ron Clarke Ronald William Clarke, AO, MBE (21 February 1937 – 17 June 2015) was an Australian athlete, writer, and the Mayor of the Gold Coast from 2004 to 2012. He was one of the best-known middle- and long-distance runners in the 1960s, notable fo ...

to win the six mile race. Two days later, Temu finished fourth in the three miles. At the

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Olympics, in the 10,000 m final, only

Mamo Wolde Degaga "Mamo" Wolde ( amh, ማሞ ወልዴ; 12 June 1932 – 26 May 2002) was an Ethiopian long distance runner who competed in track, cross-country, and road running events. He was the winner of the marathon at the 1968 Summer Olympics. ...

from

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

could keep to Temu's pace. Wolde went to lead at the bell, but Temu passed him with 50 m remaining to win the gold. Four days later, he won a bronze medal in the 5,000 m, narrowly beaten by

Mohammed Gammoudi Mohammed Tlili ben Abdallah ( ar, محمد التليلي بن عبدالله), also known as Moham(m)ed Gammoudi, (born February 11, 1938) is a Tunisian athlete who competed as a long distance runner in international track and field competitions ...

from

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and fellow countryman Kipchoge Keino. Temu also competed against Wolde in the marathon, but Wolde broke away after the 30 km mark, while Temu finished 19th. Temu's career went downhill after 1968. He finished nineteenth in the 10,000 m at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games, and was eliminated in the 10,000 m heats at the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...

. He retired in 1973 to run a farm in

North Mugirango North Mugirango is one of four constituencies in Nyamira County Nyamira County is a county in the former Nyanza Province of Kenya. It shares common boundaries with what was known as Nyamira District. The main cash crops grown are bananas and t ...

, which was a gift from president Jomo Kenyatta. On 10 March 2003, he died of prostate cancer at the

Kenyatta National Hospital The Kenyatta National Hospital is the oldest hospital in Kenya. It is a public, tertiary, referral hospital for the Ministry of Health. It is also the teaching hospital of the University of Nairobi College of Health Sciences. It is the 2nd l ...

, aged 58.

References