Esther Wanjiru

{{short description|Kenyan long-distance runner}}

Esther Wanjiru Maina (born March 27, 1977) is a retired female long-distance runner from Kenya.

She is from Kahuhia, Murang'a District.Daily Nation, August 39, 1999: [https://web.archive.org/web/20031031210056/http://www.nationaudio.com/News/DailyNation/300899/Sports/Sports1.html Wanjiru fails to come through]

On January 15, 1999 she finished second at a half marathon race in Tokyo. The race was won by Elana Meyer, who set a world record, while Wanjiru scored did also beat the previous world record by timing 1:06:49 IAAF: [http://www.iaaf.org/statistics/toplists/inout=O/age=N/season=0/sex=W/all=y/legal=A/disc=HMAR/detail.html Half Marathon All Time]

She won the Sendai Half Marathon in 1998 and 1999, and finished second in 2000.{{Cite web |url=http://www.sendaihalf.com/eng/top20ofsendaiHF |title=1991-2008 Sendai Half Marathon Past Top 20 Finishers |access-date=2009-01-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716040739/http://www.sendaihalf.com/eng/top20ofsendaiHF/ |archive-date=2011-07-16 |url-status=dead }}

She finished third at the 2000 Osaka Ladies Marathon,{{Cite web|url=http://www.copacabanarunners.net/y2k-01-30.html|title=Maratona feminina de Osaka 2000, Corrida de rua|website=www.copacabanarunners.net|access-date=2018-05-02}} setting her personal best of 2:23:31 hours.

Wanjiru became the first Kenyan woman to win Commonwealth Games gold medal, although Jackline Maranga won 1500 metres later at the same games.August 3, 2002: Daily Nation, Lukewarm performance by team in Manchester