Kenneth Dzekedzeke
{{Short description|Malawian middle-distance runner (born 1969)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Kenneth Dzekedzeke
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| nationality = Malawian
| sport = Middle-distance running
| event = 800 metres
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| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1969|4|1|df=yes}}
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| height = 185cm[http://www.olympedia.org/athletes/73395 Kenneth Dzekedzeke: Biographical Information] Olympedia. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
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Kenneth Dzekedzeke (born 1 April 1969) is a Malawian middle-distance runner. He competed in the men's 800 metres at the 1988 Summer Olympics.{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/dz/kenneth-dzekedzeke-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418111113/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/dz/kenneth-dzekedzeke-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 April 2020 |title=Kenneth Dzekedzeke Olympic Results |accessdate=21 October 2017}}
Athletics career
Dzekedzeke initially started out as a trainer for his sister Mandaliza, a cross country competitor, before taking up competitive athletics himself in 1986.[https://www.mwnation.com/still-around-ken-dzekedzeke/ Still Around: Ken Dzekedzeke] The Nation. 2 July 2012. Retrieved 3 May 2021. After competing in school 400m and 800m events he gained the attention of British athletics coach Frank Gallagher, who helped develop him into a national and international-level athlete.
He won silver at the Independence Celebration Games in Mozambique in 1987 and the same year set the Malawian 800m record at the All-Africa Games with a time of 1 minute 49; the record still stood as of 2012.
Dzekedzeke placed sixth in the third heat at the 800m event at the 1988 Seoul Olympics; only the top three in each heat qualified. He went on to compete at the 1990 Commonwealth Games 800m heats and the 1991 All-Africa Games.
Coaching career
Following these competitions Dzekedzeke won a scholarship to study a diploma in athletics coaching at the University of Mainz. He returned from Germany in 1993 and spent the next decade training Malawian athletes including Catherine Chikwakwa and Francis Munthali. He has also served as an executive member of the Malawi Olympic Committee and as head coach for Malawian athletes at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
References
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Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1988 Summer Olympics
Category:Malawian male middle-distance runners
Category:Olympic athletes for Malawi
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1990 Commonwealth Games
Category:Commonwealth Games competitors for Malawi
Category:Place of birth missing (living people)
Category:Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz alumni
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