Samwel Mailu

Last updated

Samwel Mailu
Personal information
Birth nameSamwel Nyamai Mailu
Nationality Kenya
Born (1993-02-07) 7 February 1993 (age 31)
Sport
Sport Athletics
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)1500m: 3:54.86 (Nairobi, 2022)
5000m: 14:24.50 (Nairobi, 2022)
10,000m: 29:58.33 (Nairobi, 2022)
Half marathon: 59:19 (Riga, 2023)
Marathon: 2:05:08 (Vienna, 2023)
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya
World Road Running Championships
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2023 Riga Half marathon

Samwel Nyamai Mailu (born 7 February 1993) is a Kenyan long-distance runner. He won a bronze medal in the half marathon at the 2023 World Athletics Road Running Championships in Riga. [1]

Contents

Early life

Mailu grew up the son of vegetable farmers, one of five children, in a village called Ulawani, not far from the Kenya-Tanzania border and Mount Kilimanjaro, although he himself did not live at high altitude. He only started to train at fifteen years-old and stopped running until later in life after completing a college course to become a primary school teacher. He started training seriously in 2020, and moved to a training camp in Machakos, southeast of Nairobi. [2]

Career

In June 2022, Mailu won the Hamburg half-marathon with a time of 1:01:52 despite bad weather conditions. [3] Later that year Mailu finished as runner-up at the Frankfurt Marathon running 2:07.19 despite initially only starting the race in the role of pacemaker. He had never completed a competitive marathon before. [4] [5]

Mailu set a new course record and personal best time of 2:05.08 to win the Vienna Marathon in April 2023. [6] [7] In June 2023, Mailu successfully defended his Hamburg half-marathon title. [8]

Mailu was part of a Kenyan clean-sweep of the medals, alongside Sabastian Sawe and Daniel Simiu Ebenyo in the half-marathon during the World Road Running Championships in Riga, Latvia on 1 October 2023. It meant Kenya also comfortably claimed the team title at the event. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eliud Kipchoge</span> Kenyan long-distance runner (born 1984)

Eliud Kipchoge is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in the marathon and formerly specialized in the 5000 metres. Regarded as one of the greatest marathon runners of all time, he is the 2016 and 2020 Olympic marathon champion, and was the world record holder in the marathon from 2018 to 2023, with a time of 2:01:09 set at the 2022 Berlin Marathon, until that record was broken by Kelvin Kiptum at the 2023 Chicago Marathon with a time of 2:00:35. He has run four of the 10 fastest marathons in history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hellen Jemaiyo Kimutai</span> Kenyan marathon runner

Hellen Jemaiyo Kimutai is a Kenyan marathon runner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caroline Kilel</span> Kenyan long-distance runner

Caroline Cheptanui Kilel is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specializes in road running competitions. She was the winner at the 2011 Boston Marathon and the Frankfurt Marathon in 2010 and 2013. Kilel took the silver medal in the marathon at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vienna City Marathon</span> Annual race in Austria held since 1984

The Vienna City Marathon is an annual marathon race over the classic distance of 42.195 km held in Vienna, Austria since 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gilbert Kirwa</span> Kenyan long-distance runner

Gilbert Kipruto Kirwa is a Kenyan athlete who specialises in long-distance running and the marathon. His personal best for the marathon is 2:06:14 hours and has won races in Vienna and Frankfurt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich</span> Kenyan long-distance runner

Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich is a Kenyan professional athlete who specialises in long-distance running, competing in events ranging from 10 km to the marathon. He was the bronze medallist in the marathon at the 2012 Summer Olympics. He is the former world record holder in the marathon with a time of 2:03:23, which he set at the 2013 Berlin Marathon. He has run under 2 hours 4 minutes for the marathon on four occasions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vincent Kipruto</span> Kenyan marathon runner

Vincent Kipruto Limo is a Kenyan long distance runner who specialises in the marathon. He made his debut in the event in 2008 and won the Paris Marathon a year later. He then placed top three at the Chicago Marathon and the Rotterdam Marathon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilfred Kibet Kigen</span> Kenyan long-distance runner

Wilfred Kibet Kigen is a Kenyan long distance runner who primarily competes in marathon races in Germany. His personal best for the distance is 2:07:33 hours, set in 2007. He is a three-time winner of the Frankfurt Marathon and won the Hamburg Marathon in 2010, after having finished as runner-up on three occasions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Sugut</span> Kenyan long-distance runner

Henry Kemo Sugut is a male long-distance runner from Kenya who competes in marathon races. He is a three-time winner of the Vienna City Marathon. His personal best for the event is 2:06:58 hours. In his early career he ran in track races and represented Kenya at the World Junior Championships in Athletics and the All-Africa Games.

Irene Jerotich Kosgei[nb] is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specialises in the marathon. Her first victory over the distance came at the Nairobi Marathon in 2006 and she won the race again in 2010 with a course record and personal best time of 2:28:47. She became the first Kenyan woman to win the Commonwealth marathon title at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgina Rono</span> Kenyan long-distance runner

Georgina J. Rono is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specialises in marathon running. She was third at the 2012 Boston Marathon. Rono won the Hamburg Marathon in 2014.

Agnes Jeruto Barsosio is a Kenyan athlete and marathon runner. She was born in 1983. She competes for the Kenya national team and represents Kenya in international athletics competitions.

Augustus Mbusya Kavutu is a Kenyan long-distance runner and marathoner who has won several long-distance races and finished in the top ten of multiple international marathons. He ran one of the fastest half-marathons in the world in 2003, clocking 1:01:19.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Ebenyo</span> Kenyan athlete (born 1995)

Daniel Simiu Ebenyo is a Kenyan middle-distance and long-distance runner.

The 2023 World Athletics Road Running Championships took place in Riga, Latvia, on 1 October 2023. As the inaugural World Athletics Road Running Championships, they included the World Athletics Half Marathon Championships, which were last held in 2020. A flat, single-lap marathon course in the Baltics' largest city. All courses were traffic-free.

Judith Jeptum Korir is a Kenyan marathon runner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reynold Cheruiyot</span> Kenyan athlete

Reynold Kipkorir Cheruiyot is a Kenyan runner who competes in track and field and cross-country. He holds the current world junior record in the mile run.

Irine Jepchumba Kimais is a Kenyan long-distance runner.

Angela Tanui is a Kenyan marathon runner.

Samuel Kibathi Wanjiru is Kenyan long distance and cross country runner.

References

  1. "Samwel Mailu". World Athletics. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  2. "After Vienna course record Samwel Mailu pledges to help Kenyan talents". Watch Athletics. 24 April 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  3. Wafula, Abigael (25 June 2023). "Defending champion Samwel Mailu returns to Hamburg in search of successive victories" . Retrieved 3 October 2023. l
  4. Kelsall, Cristopher (25 July 2023). "Frankfurt Marathon: European silver medallist Matea Parlov Kostro and Kenyan Samwel Mailu to toe the line". Athletics Illistrated. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  5. Wenig, Jörg (23 April 2023). "Samwel Mailu crowns his anniversary with a course record, Sebastian Hendel ninth". Leichtatgletik.de. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  6. "Vienna City Marathon my biggest career win - Mailu". The-Star.co.ke. 24 April 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  7. "Kenyans shine in Vienna, Hamburg Marathons". Nation.Africa. 23 April 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  8. Wafula, Abigael (25 June 2023). "Samwel Mailu leads Kenyan 1-2-3 sweep as he successfully defends Hamburg 21k title". Pulse Sports. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  9. "Confidence and good race tactics were key, says Sawe after Riga sweep". The-Star.co.ke. 2 October 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2023.