Joseph Nzau
{{Short description|Kenyan long-distance runner}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
|name = Joseph Nzau
|image =
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| sport = Track, long-distance running
| event = 5000 metres, 10,000 metres, marathon
|nationality = Kenyan
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|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1949|4|14}}{{cite web|url=https://qctimes.com/sports/columnists/doxsie/doxsie-nzau-blazed-a-path-for-kenyans-who-followed/article_ac12fee6-3b8c-5268-be66-245ce360d2ca.html|author=Don Doxsie|title=Quad City Times: Nzau blazed a path for Kenyans who followed|date=July 15, 2016|accessdate=October 20, 2018}}{{ref|1|1}}
|birth_place = Marsabit County, Kenya
|collegeteam = Wyoming
|height =
|weight =
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|pb = 5000m: 13:37.5{{cite web|url=https://www.iaaf.org/athletes/kenya/joseph-nzau-014346975|author=IAAF|author-link=International Association of Athletics Federations|title=Joseph NZAU - Athlete Profile}}
10,000m: 28:06.63
Marathon: 2:09:45
|olympics =
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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.[http://web1.ncaa.org/ncaa/archives/otrack/d1/1979/results1979.pdf] PDF: 1979 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships - May 29-June 2, 1979 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.[http://wyohof.com/?players=joseph-n-nzau] Joseph N. Nzau - University of Wyoming Athletics Hall of Fame
=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. In 1990, Nzau won the inaugural Belgrade Marathon.
Personal
Nzau's grandson Elijah Mwangangi Saolo, is a competitive distance and marathon runner.{{Cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2021/09/28/illinois-man-wins-marathon-after-leaders-take-wrong-route/5902153001/|title=Illinois man unexpectedly wins marathon after 2 leaders take wrong route|website=USA TODAY}}{{Cite web|url=https://worldathletics.org/athletes/kenya/elijah-saolo-14766293|title=Elijah SAOLO | Profile | World Athletics|website=worldathletics.org}}
Notes
Achievements
| {{AchievementTable|Event=yes}} |
| colspan="6"|Representing {{KEN}} |
|---|
| 1982
|Chicago, United States |bgcolor="silver" | 2nd |Marathon |2:11:40 |
| 1983
|Chicago, United States |bgcolor="gold" | 1st |Marathon |2:09:44 |
| rowspan=3|1984
|bgcolor="silver" | 2nd |Marathon |2:10:40 |
| rowspan=2|Olympic Games
|rowspan=2|Los Angeles, United States |14th |10,000 m |
| 7th
|Marathon |
| 1990
|bgcolor="gold" | 1st |Marathon |2:19:32 |
References
{{Reflist|2}}
External links
- {{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/nz/joseph-nzau-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418050250/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/nz/joseph-nzau-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2020-04-18 |title=Joseph Nzau}}
{{Footer Chicago Marathon Champions Men}}
{{Footer Belgrade Marathon Champions Men}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nzau, Joseph}}
Category:Kenyan male long-distance runners
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics
Category:Olympic athletes for Kenya
Category:Place of birth missing (living people)
Category:Wyoming Cowboys track and field athletes
Category:Chicago Marathon male winners
Category:Kenyan male marathon runners