Olympic star dies in mystery fall after domestic dispute

KENYAN Olympic marathon champion Sammy Wanjiru died in a fall from a balcony after a domestic dispute involving his wife and another woman, police said.

One officer said Wanjiru committed suicide, while another said he jumped to stop his wife leaving the house after she discovered him with another woman.

The 24-year-old runner died on Sunday after jumping from the balcony at his home in Nyahururu, in the Rift Valley.

“The fact of the matter is that Wanjiru committed suicide,” said a spokesman.

Police commissioner, Mathew Iteere, also said initial reports indicated Wanjiru killed himself, though a local official offered a different account.

“Wanjiru came home with another woman friend at around 11.30pm and then when his wife came home and found them she inquired who the lady was,” area police chief Jasper Ombati said. “They got into an argument. His wife locked them in the bedroom and ran off.

“He then jumped from the bedroom balcony. He is not here to tell us what he was thinking when he jumped. We do not suspect foul play. In our estimation we think he wanted to stop his wife from leaving the compound.”

At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Wanjiru became the first Kenyan to win a gold medal in the marathon, finishing in an Olympic-record 2 hours, 6 minutes, 32 seconds.

Wanjiru had a history of domestic problems. Last December, he was charged with wounding his security guard with a rifle and threatening to kill his wife and maid.