Joseph Nzau
Personal information
NationalityKenyan
Born (1949-04-14) April 14, 1949[1]1
Marsabit County, Kenya
Sport
SportTrack, long-distance running
Event(s)5000 metres, 10,000 metres, marathon
College teamWyoming
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)5000m: 13:37.5[2]
10,000m: 28:06.63[2]
Marathon: 2:09:45[2]

Joseph Nzau (born April 14, 1949) is a Kenyan former long-distance runner who represented his country at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. Nzau won the 1983 Chicago Marathon and the inaugural 1990 Belgrade Marathon.

Running career

Early life

Nzau was a late bloomer who did not take up running until the age of 25. He was subsequently recruited by the University of Wyoming on an athletic scholarship when he was 28, along with a few other Kenyans.

Collegiate

Nzau attended the University of Wyoming under the tutelage of Coach Ron Jones in the late 1970s. At the 1979 NCAA Division I Track and Field Championships, he finished in fifth place.[3] At Wyoming, Nzau earned six All-American honors, graduated with a degree in engineering and was inducted into the university's athletic Hall of Fame in 1997.[4]

Post-collegiate

In 1983, Nzau was the first Kenyan to win in a world-class marathon when he won the 1983 Chicago Marathon. A year later, Nzau finished 7th overall in the men's marathon at the 1984 Summer Olympics. In addition to the marathon, Nzau finished 14th of 16 finishers in the men's 10,000 metres at the same competition. He twice won the Bix 7; Davenport, Iowa, in 1983, 7 miles in a time of 33:10, winning again in 1987 in 33:24.[1]In 1990, Nzau won the inaugural Belgrade Marathon.

Personal

Nzau's grandson Elijah Mwangangi Saolo, is a competitive distance and marathon runner.[5][6]

Notes

  • ^1 Nzau's birth date is speculative, as he has reported different ages.[1]

Achievements

YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
Representing  Kenya
1982 Chicago Marathon Chicago, United States 2nd Marathon 2:11:40
1983 Chicago Marathon Chicago, United States 1st Marathon 2:09:44
1984 Los Angeles Marathon Los Angeles, United States 2nd Marathon 2:10:40
Olympic Games Los Angeles, United States 14th 10,000 m 28:32.57
7th Marathon 2:11:28
1990 Belgrade Marathon Belgrade, FR Yugoslavia 1st Marathon 2:19:32

References

  1. 1 2 3 Don Doxsie (July 15, 2016). "Quad City Times: Nzau blazed a path for Kenyans who followed". Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 IAAF. "Joseph NZAU - Athlete Profile".
  3. ↑ PDF: 1979 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships - May 29-June 2, 1979
  4. ↑ Joseph N. Nzau - University of Wyoming Athletics Hall of Fame
  5. ↑ "Illinois man unexpectedly wins marathon after 2 leaders take wrong route". USA TODAY.
  6. ↑ "Elijah SAOLO | Profile | World Athletics". worldathletics.org.


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