NYAHURURU, Kenya (AP) — Thousands of people attended the funeral of Olympic marathon champion Samuel Wanjiru on Saturday following weeks of legal wrangling amid an ongoing investigation into his death.
Wanjiru's funeral service was held at a stadium in
Nyahururu, in Kenya's Rift Valley. The first Kenyan to win gold in the marathon
at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Wanjiru was given a 21-gun salute as his coffin
was lowered into a grave at his farm.
A court finally ordered this week that Wanjiru
could be buried despite the continuing investigation into the mysterious
circumstances of his death following a domestic dispute.
The 24-year-old Wanjiru died May 15 after falling
from a balcony at his apartment in Nyahururu. He had been found by his wife,
Triza Njeri, with another woman at their home.
His death is still being investigated by Kenyan
authorities after conflicting police reports over whether it was a suicide or
an accident. Wanjiru's mother obtained an initial court order preventing his
burial until the investigation was concluded. She accused his wife of killing
the runner to gain control of his property.
Track and field lost one of its brightest young
stars. Wanjiru won five of his seven marathons and was the youngest runner to
win four "major" marathons.
He won the 2007 Fukuoka Marathon on his marathon
debut and claimed Kenya's first Olympic marathon title a year later in an
Olympic record time, breaking the 14-year-old mark.
He also won the London and Chicago marathons in
2009 and defended his Chicago crown in 2010.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
(AP
Photo/Sayyid Azim)
