Patrick Ndururi Kinaga (21 January 1969 – 25 October 2009) was a Kenyan

middle-distance runner Middle-distance running events are track races longer than sprints, up to 3000 metres. The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle-distance event. The 1 ...

who specialized in the

800 metres The 800 metres, or meters ( US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of an outdoor (400-metre) track and has been an Olympic event since the ...

. On 13 August 1997 he ran a personal best of 1:42.62 minutes at the

Weltklasse Zürich Weltklasse Zürich ( en, World Class Zurich) is an annual, invitation-only, world-class track and field meeting at the Letzigrund in Zürich, Switzerland, generally held at the end of August or beginning of September. Previously one of the IAAF G ...

meeting. This time ranks him in the top twenty fastest people in history over this distance. His greatest performance on the global stage came at the

1997 World Championships in Athletics The 6th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Amateur Athletic Federation, were held at the Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece between August 1 and August 10, 1997. In this event participated 1882 athletes from 19 ...

, where he finished seventh in the final. He was the

400 metres The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics (sport), athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor runn ...

bronze medallist at the

1995 Military World Games The 1995 Military World Games, the first edition of the Military World Games, were held in Rome, Italy from 4 September to 16 September. Sports * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Medal table See also *Track and field a ...

. He won three international 800 m medals in his career: silver at the

1997 IAAF Grand Prix Final The 1997 IAAF Grand Prix Final was the thirteenth edition of the season-ending competition for the IAAF Grand Prix track and field circuit, organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations. It was held on 13 September at the Hak ...

, gold at the 1998 Goodwill Games, and silver at the 1998 African Championships in Athletics.African Championships
. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2014-01-12. He was coached and mentored by five times world cross country champion

John Ngugi John Ngugi Kamau (born 10 May 1962), is a former Kenyan long-distance runner, often called one of the greatest cross country runners of all time and winner of the 5000 metres at the 1988 Summer Olympics, in Seoul South Korea. Career Born in Kigu ...

at his camp Mt. Kenya High Altitude Training Camp, where athletes like

Samuel Kamau Wanjiru Samuel Kamau Wanjiru (10 November 1986 – 15 May 2011) was a Kenyan long-distance runner who won the 2008 Beijing Olympics Marathon in an Olympic record time of 2:06:32; becoming the first Kenyan to win the Olympic gold in the marathon. He beca ...

the Olympic marathon champion were trained. Ndururi was from the Gatunyu village, Mugomoini sub-location,

Gatanga District Gatanga is a settlement in Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , ...

. His parents were Naftali Kinaga and Joyce Njoki. Ndururi was married to Florence Wanjiru with one child.Daily Nation, October 27, 2009
Transition
/ref> Ndururi died on 25 October 2009 due to a suspected heart attack, and was buried on 3 November in his home town

Thika Thika Thika (pronounced �θika is an industrial town and a major commerce hub in Kiambu County, Kenya, lying on the A2 road 42 kilometres (26 mi) Northeast of Nairobi, near the confluence of the Thika and Chania Rivers. Although Thika town ...

Central Kenya Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known a ...

Achievements

References

1969 births 2009 deaths Kenyan male middle-distance runners Kenyan male sprinters People from Kiambu County Sportspeople from Central Province (Kenya) Goodwill Games medalists in athletics Competitors at the 1998 Goodwill Games 20th-century Kenyan people {{Kenya-athletics-bio-stub