View source for Charles Kamathi

{{short description|Kenyan long-distance runner}}
{{MedalTableTop
|image=Charles Kamathi 2008(2).jpg
|imagesize=240px
|caption= Kamathi at the [[Berlin Marathon]] in 2008
|sport=Men's [[Athletics (sport)|athletics]]
|nation =KEN
|medals=
{{Medal|Competition|[[IAAF World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[2001 World Championships in Athletics|2001 Edmonton]]|[[2001 World Championships in Athletics - Men's 10000 metres|10,000 m]]}}
}}

'''Charles Waweru Kamathi''' (born 18 May 1978, near [[Nyeri, Kenya]]) is a Kenyan [[long-distance runner]]. He is best known for winning the [[10,000 metres]] distance at the [[2001 World Championships in Athletics|2001 World Championships]] in Edmonton.

==Career==

===Early life and career===
Kamathi started running in 1995. He graduated from Njogu-Ini Secondary School in 1996. In 1997 he went to run for Toyota club in [[Japan]], but had to leave back home only after days later due to [[tendinitis]] and Toyota replaced him with [[Simon Maina]]. Kamathi joined [[Kenya Police]] in 1998. On 3 September 1999 he made his international breakthrough by winning a 10000 metres race at the [[Memorial Van Damme]] meeting in [[Brussels]] by running 26:51.49, then the fifth best time ever and the world's fastest time in 1999.<ref name=Focus>IAAF: [http://www.iaaf.org/news/athletes/newsid=26782.html Focus on Africa - Charles Waweru Kamathi (KEN)]</ref>

Following this, he took to the European [[cross country running]] circuit and beat multiple world champion [[Paul Tergat]] three times,<ref name=Focus/> taking victories at the [[Almond Blossom Cross Country]], [[Cross Internacional de Itálica]] and [[Cinque Mulini]] race.<ref name=Almond>Civai, Franco (2009-03-09). [https://www.arrs.run/HP_AlmondXC.htm Amendoeiras em Flor (Almond Blossom) 10 km and 6 km]. [[Association of Road Racing Statisticians]]. Retrieved on 2010-03-10.</ref><ref name=Cinque>[http://www.cinquemulini.org/main/images/pdf/Albodoro/seniorm1.pdf Cinque Mulini Men's winners] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725171713/http://www.cinquemulini.org/main/images/pdf/Albodoro/seniorm1.pdf |date=2011-07-25 }}. Cinque Mulini. Retrieved on 2010-02-05.</ref><ref name=Italica>Civai, Franco & Gasparovic, Juraj (2010-01-18). [https://www.arrs.run/HP_ItalicaXC.htm Cross Italica]. [[Association of Road Racing Statisticians]]. Retrieved on 2010-01-30.</ref> Despite a poor finish at the Kenya World trials event, he was selected for the [[2000 IAAF World Cross Country Championships]]. He did not live up to his circuit form and was seventh place in the long race, behind four of his compatriots.<ref>[http://www2.iaaf.org/WXC00/indexframe.asp?Page=results/byevent.html Official Results - CROSS LONG RACE Men] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090830221554/http://www2.iaaf.org/WXC00/indexframe.asp?Page=results%2Fbyevent.html |date=2009-08-30 }}. [[IAAF]] (2000-03-19). Retrieved on 2010-10-12.</ref> His 2000 season was hampered by a [[hamstring]] injury and he did not managed to make the Kenyan team for the [[2000 Summer Olympics]].<ref name=Focus/>

===World champion===
Fully recovered, he returned to the European cross country meets and won again at the Cinque Mulini and Itálica races.<ref name=Cinque/><ref name=Italica/> He qualified for the [[2001 IAAF World Cross Country Championships]] and won his first major medal in the men's long race. Kamathi won the [[bronze medal]] (behind [[Mohammed Mourhit]] and [[Serhiy Lebid]]) and led a Kenyan team which included [[Paul Kosgei]] and [[Patrick Ivuti]] to the team [[gold medal]].<ref>Wallace-Jones, Sean (2001-03-25). [http://www2.iaaf.org/WXC01/News/getnews.asp?Code=3408 Mourhit gives best possible reward to Belgium] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110316185900/http://www2.iaaf.org/WXC01/News/getnews.asp?Code=3408 |date=March 16, 2011 }}. [[IAAF]]. Retrieved on 2010-10-12.</ref> An even greater achievement awaited him at the [[2001 World Championships in Athletics]]. He took on defending world champion [[Haile Gebrselassie]] in the 10,000&nbsp;m and managed to beat both him and Olympic medallist [[Assefa Mezgebu]] to the line in the final lap, taking the world [[gold medal]] in the event. The victory, in which Kamathi sprinted from fourth to first in the final 200&nbsp;metres, broke Haile's undefeated streak of 37 races.<ref>[http://www2.iaaf.org/WCH01/FromEvent/News/M/10K_R_f_1.html 2001 World Championships - 10,000 metres final] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120930063252/http://www2.iaaf.org/WCH01/FromEvent/News/M/10K_R_f_1.html |date=September 30, 2012 }}. [[IAAF]] (2010-08-09). Retrieved on 2010-10-12.</ref>

In September he competed at the 10-mile [[Dam tot Damloop]] in the [[Netherlands]] and managed to win the race in a time of 46:05 minutes.<ref>[https://www.arrs.run/HP_DtD10.htm Dam tot Dam 10 mile]. [[Association of Road Racing Statisticians]] (2009-09-19). Retrieved on 2010-10-12.</ref>

==Marathon running==
He made his marathon debut at the 2007 [[Milan Marathon]] and finished fourth by running 2:11:25.<ref>IAAF, 2 December 2007: [http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=42575.html Cheruiyot wins in debut, Chepchumba cruises to personal best in Milan]</ref> He finished third at his second marathon, the 2008 [[Rotterdam Marathon]] and bettered his personal record to 2:07:33.<ref>IAAF, 13 April 2008: [http://www.iaaf.org/LRR08/news/newsid=44430.html Kipsang sets 2:05:49 course record in Rotterdam]</ref> He ran at the [[Milan Marathon]] in April 2010, but suffered cramps at the 30&nbsp;km point and finished in second place.<ref>Sampaolo, Diego (2010-04-12). [http://www.iaaf.org/news/kind=100/newsid=56432.html Surprise victories for Kipchumba and Mengistu in Milan]. [[IAAF]]. Retrieved on 2010-04-12.</ref> He entered the [[Eindhoven Marathon]] in October and had a close battle with [[Nicholas Chelimo]] and [[Paul Biwott]] at the finish. Kamathi just pipped Chelimo at the line to win the race, recording a time of 2:07:38 – the same as the runner-up.<ref>van Hemert, Wim (2010-10-10). [http://www.iaaf.org/news/kind=100/newsid=58476.html In a thriller, Kamathi takes 2:07:38 victory in Eindhoven]. [[IAAF]]. Retrieved on 2010-10-12.</ref>

==Personal life==
He is from the [[Kikuyu people|Kikuyu]] tribe. His manager is Federico Rosa and his coach is Gabriele Rosa.<ref name="Focus"/>

==International competitions==
[[File:Berlin marathon 2008 gebressalie 1.JPG|thumb|Kamathi (right) with the leading pack at the Berlin Marathon]]
{| {{AchievementTable|Event=yes|NotesOff=yes}}
|-
|2000
|[[2000 IAAF World Cross Country Championships|World Cross Country Championships]]
|[[Vilamoura]], [[Portugal]]
| 7th
|Long race
|-
|rowspan=2|2001
|[[2001 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]
|[[Edmonton]], [[Canada]]
|bgcolor="gold" | 1st
|10,000 m
|-
|[[2001 IAAF World Cross Country Championships|World Cross Country Championships]]
|[[Ostend]], [[Belgium]]
|bgcolor="cc9966"| 3rd
|Long race
|-
|rowspan=2|2002
|[[2002 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships|IAAF World Half Marathon Championships]]
|[[Brussels]], [[Belgium]]
| 9th
|Half marathon
|-
|[[2002 IAAF World Cross Country Championships|World Cross Country Championships]]
|[[Dublin]], [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]]
| 5th
|Long race
|-
|rowspan=2|2003
|[[2003 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]
|[[Paris]], [[France]]
| 7th
|10,000 m
|-
|[[1st IAAF World Athletics Final|World Athletics Final]]
|[[Monte Carlo]], [[Monaco]]
| 8th
|5000 m
|-
|rowspan=4|2004
|[[Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]
|[[Athens]], [[Greece]]
| 13th
|10,000 m
|-
|[[2004 IAAF World Cross Country Championships|World Cross Country Championships]]
|[[Brussels]], [[Belgium]]
| 5th
|Long race
|-
|[[2nd IAAF World Athletics Final|World Athletics Final]]
|[[Monte Carlo]], [[Monaco]]
| 7th
|5000 m
|-
|[[2004 African Championships in Athletics|African Championships]]
|[[Brazzaville]], [[Congo-Brazzaville|Congo]]
|bgcolor="gold"| 1st
|10,000 m
|-
|rowspan=2|2005
|[[2005 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]
|[[Helsinki]], [[Finland]]
| 12th
|10,000 m
|-
|[[2005 IAAF World Cross Country Championships|World Cross Country Championships]]
|[[Saint-Étienne]]-<br>[[Saint-Galmier]], [[France]]
| 10th
|Long race
|}

==Personal bests==

*3000 metres - 7:41.89 (2003)
*5000 metres - 13:02.51 (2002)
*10,000 metres - 26:51.49 (1999)
*Half marathon - 1:00:22 (2002)
*Marathon - 2:07:33 (2008)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*{{World Athletics}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110715203611/http://www.rosassociati.com/public/images/atleti/Kamathi%20Charles%20Waweru.pdf Rosa & Associati profile]

{{Footer World Champions 10000 m Men}}
{{Footer African Champions men's 10,000 metres}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kamathi, Charles}}
[[Category:1978 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Nyeri County]]
[[Category:Kenyan male long-distance runners]]
[[Category:Kenyan male marathon runners]]
[[Category:Olympic athletes for Kenya]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships athletes for Kenya]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships medalists]]
[[Category:Kenyan male cross country runners]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships winners]]
[[Category:20th-century Kenyan sportsmen]]
[[Category:21st-century Kenyan sportsmen]]