Josephat Ndambiri
Encyclopedia
Josephat Muchiri Ndambiri (born 12 February 1985) is a Kenya
n long-distance runner. He represented his country at the World Championships in Athletics in 2007.
He is based in Japan
and trains with PACE Sports Management
. He moved to Japan as a teenager on an athletic scholarship
and specialised in long-distance track running, including the 5000 metres
and 10,000 metres. He competed for, and graduated from, Ryutsu Keizai University
.
At the 2005 Sapporo Half Marathon
, he led for the first half of the race but had faded to fourth by the finish point. At the end of the year he represented Kenyan in the International Chiba Ekiden
. Running the marathon
distance with a relay team of Martin Mathathi
, Daniel Mwangi, Mekubo Mogusu
, Onesmus Nyerere and John Kariuki, he helped set a world record time of 1:57:06 hours for the popular Japanese event. Ndambiri won a second Chiba Ekiden title with Kenya the following year, where he won his 5-kilometre leg by a margin of over twenty seconds.
He won the 10,000 metres at the Kenyan Championships in 2007 and in his major international debut he finished fifth in the event at the 2007 World Championships
. A month after his world appearance, he took a 5000/10,000 m double at the Japan Corporate Team Track & Field Championships. He attempted to gain selection for the 2008 Summer Olympics
, but ended the trials in seventh and was not picked for the squad. Representing the Komori Corporation, he ran in the New Year Ekiden and won his 8.3 km stage.
He came seventh at the RAK Half Marathon in 2010, setting a personal best of 1:01:07 hours. The following year he came fourth over 10,000 m at the Hyogo Relays and then claimed third place at the Sapporo Half Marathon in June.
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
n long-distance runner. He represented his country at the World Championships in Athletics in 2007.
He is based in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and trains with PACE Sports Management
PACE Sports Management
PACE Sports Management is a British athlete management company based in the outskirts of London in Teddington, Middlesex, directed by former Irish under-23 runner Ricky Simms.-Background:...
. He moved to Japan as a teenager on an athletic scholarship
Athletic scholarship
An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport...
and specialised in long-distance track running, including the 5000 metres
5000 metres
The 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...
and 10,000 metres. He competed for, and graduated from, Ryutsu Keizai University
Ryutsu Keizai University
is a Japanese private university in Ryugasaki, Ibaraki. It was founded in 1965.-See also:*Ryutsu Keizai University F.C., affiliated football club.*List of universities in Japan...
.
At the 2005 Sapporo Half Marathon
Sapporo Half Marathon
The ' is an annual road running competition over the half marathon distance which takes place in July in Sapporo, Japan.First held in 1958, the race began as a full marathon competition for men under the moniker of the Hokkai Times Marathon. This lasted until 1973, as it was replaced with a...
, he led for the first half of the race but had faded to fourth by the finish point. At the end of the year he represented Kenyan in the International Chiba Ekiden
International Chiba Ekiden
The International Chiba Ekiden is an annual team road running competition held in Chiba, Japan in late November. The marathon relay race, or ekiden as it is known in Japan, is one of the prominent annual races of its kind. The competition is split into six legs which combine to make up the marathon...
. Running the marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
distance with a relay team of Martin Mathathi
Martin Mathathi
Martin Irungu Mathathi is a Kenyan long-distance runner, who competes in track, cross country and road running events. Mathathi won the bronze medal in the 10,000 metres at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka. He represented his country in the same event at the 2008 Summer Olympics...
, Daniel Mwangi, Mekubo Mogusu
Mekubo Mogusu
Mekubo Job Mogusu is a Kenyan long distance runner who specialises in road running, particularly the half marathon. An emigrant to Japan, he has won the Sapporo Half Marathon on three occasions and the Kagawa Marugame Half Marathon twice – he is the course record holder for both of the races...
, Onesmus Nyerere and John Kariuki, he helped set a world record time of 1:57:06 hours for the popular Japanese event. Ndambiri won a second Chiba Ekiden title with Kenya the following year, where he won his 5-kilometre leg by a margin of over twenty seconds.
He won the 10,000 metres at the Kenyan Championships in 2007 and in his major international debut he finished fifth in the event at the 2007 World Championships
2007 World Championships in Athletics
The 11th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007...
. A month after his world appearance, he took a 5000/10,000 m double at the Japan Corporate Team Track & Field Championships. He attempted to gain selection for the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
, but ended the trials in seventh and was not picked for the squad. Representing the Komori Corporation, he ran in the New Year Ekiden and won his 8.3 km stage.
He came seventh at the RAK Half Marathon in 2010, setting a personal best of 1:01:07 hours. The following year he came fourth over 10,000 m at the Hyogo Relays and then claimed third place at the Sapporo Half Marathon in June.
Personal bests
- 1500 metres1500 metresThe 1,500-metre run is the premier middle distance track event.Aerobic endurance is the biggest factor contributing to success in the 1500 metres but the athlete also requires significant sprint speed.In modern times, the 1,500-metre run has been run at a pace faster than the average person could...
- 3:38.72 min (2004) - 3000 metres3000 metresThe 3000 metres is a popular amateur middle distance track event where 7.5 laps are completed around a 400 metre track. This event is generally classified as middle distance, but it could be classed as a long distance event in many high schools, since they do not promote races such as the 5000 and...
- 7:42.98 min (2006) - 5000 metres5000 metresThe 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...
- 13:05.33 min (2005) - 10,000 metres - 26:57.36 min (2009)
- Half marathonHalf marathonA half marathon is a road running event of . It is half the distance of a marathon and usually run on roads. Participation in half marathons has grown steadily recently. One of the main reasons for this is that it is a challenging distance, but does not require the same level of training that a...
- 1:01:07 min (2010)