Caleb Mwangangi Ndiku (born 9 October 1992 in Machakos) is a Kenyan middle- and

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength. Within endurance ru ...

Career

Born in Machakos, he was the son of a

javelin throw The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about in length, is thrown as far as possible. The javelin thrower gains momentum by running within a predetermined area. Javelin throwing is an event of both the men's de ...

er, David Ndiku, but he decided not to follow his father and focused on running instead.Butler, Mark (2010-03-28)
Front running pays off for Ndiku – Men's Junior race report – Bydgoszcz 2010

IAAF World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation and International Association of Athletics Federations and formerly abbreviated as the IAAF, is the international sports governing body, governing body for the sport ...

. Retrieved on 2010-03-31. He began his career in domestic

cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and soil, earth, pass through woodlands and ope ...

competitions and at the Athletics Kenya series meeting in Meru, he took fifth place in the junior men's race at the age of sixteen. He won selection for the

2009 World Youth Championships in Athletics The 2009 World Youth Championships in Athletics is the sixth edition of the IAAF World Youth Championships in Athletics. They were held at Brixen-Bressanone Sport Arena in Bressanone, Italy from 8–12 July 2009. Athletes had to be aged 16 or ...

with a personal best run in the

1500 metres The 1500 metres or 1500-metre run is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletics since 1983. It is equivalent to 1.5 kilomet ...

at the Kenyan youth trials. At the championships in

Brixen Brixen (; , ; or , ) is a town and communes of Italy, commune in South Tyrol, northern Italy, located about north of Bolzano. Geography Brixen is the third-largest city and oldest town in the province, with a population of nearly twenty-three t ...

, he ran 3:38.42 to win the silver medal behind compatriot

Gideon Kiage Mageka Gideon (; ) also named Jerubbaal and Jerubbesheth, was a military leader, judge and prophet whose calling and victory over the Midianites is recounted in of the Book of Judges in both the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible. Gideon was th ...

. Ndiku returned to the Kenyan cross country circuit at the end of the year, and finished fourth at another Athletics Kenya series race in

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

. Ndiku earned himself a place on the Kenyan junior men's team for the 2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships with a third-place finish in the junior race at the Kenya National Cross Country Championships. In the world junior men's race in

Bydgoszcz Bydgoszcz is a city in northern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Kuyavia. Straddling the confluence of the Vistula River and its bank (geography), left-bank tributary, the Brda (river), Brda, the strategic location of Byd ...

the following month, he formed part of the leading pack before quickening the pace to establish a significant lead. He won the junior title and also headed the Kenyan runners to the team gold as the country grabbed the top four spots. Ndiku took his second title of the year at the

2010 World Junior Championships in Athletics 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to s ...

, where he ran a personal best of 3:37.30 minutes to win the 1500 m world junior crown. He won the Most Promising Kenyan Sportsman of the Year award at the end that December. In 2011 he started his technical collaboration with the Italian coach Renato Canova, who planned for him a strategy looking at 5000m. He began competing in senior competitions the following year and was runner-up at the Trofeo Alasport cross country in March, second only to the newly elected world champion Imane Merga.Sampaolo, Diego (2011-03-28)
Another cross country win for World champion Merga – Alà dei Sardi report

. Retrieved on 2011-03-29. In 2014 he had a very impressive season, winning everything possible : World Indoor Championships in 3000m, Commonwealth Games (27 July) in 5000m, African Championships (14 August) in 5000m, the Diamond League in 5000m (with two victories in Eugene and Zurich), and the Continental Cup in 3000m (14 September), becoming the number one of 5000m for the ranking of Track and Field.

Competition record

¹Representing Africa

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ndiku, Caleb Mwangangi 1992 births Living people People from Machakos County Kenyan male long-distance runners Kenyan male middle-distance runners Kenyan male cross country runners Olympic athletes for Kenya Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Kenya Athletes (track and field) at the 2014 Commonwealth Games World Athletics Championships athletes for Kenya World Athletics Championships medalists African Games gold medalists for Kenya African Games gold medalists in athletics (track and field) Athletes (track and field) at the 2011 All-Africa Games Diamond League winners World Athletics Indoor Championships winners IAAF Continental Cup winners Medallists at the 2014 Commonwealth Games 21st-century Kenyan sportsmen Commonwealth Games gold medallists in athletics