View source for Daniel Njenga

{{short description|Kenyan long-distance runner}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
|name        = Daniel Njenga
|image       = Daniel Njenga, 2008 (cropped).jpg
|caption     = Njenga in the 2008 [[Tokyo Marathon]].
|fullname    = Daniel Njenga Muturi
|nationality = Kenyan
|birth_date  = {{birth date and age|1976|5|7|df=yes}}
|yearsactive = 1995&ndash;present
|medaltemplates = 
{{Medal|Country | {{KEN}} }}
{{Medal|Sport|Men's [[Athletics (sport)|athletics]]}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[Summer Universiade|Universiade]]}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[1995 Summer Universiade|1995 Universiade]]|[[Steeplechase (athletics)|3000&nbsp;m s'chase]]}}
}}

'''Daniel Njenga Muturi''' (born 7 May 1976) is a Kenyan [[Long-distance track event|long-distance]] [[Running|runner]], who specializes in the [[marathon race|marathon]].

He had his first successes in 1995 as he won the [[steeplechase (athletics)|steeplechase]] [[gold medal]] at the [[Athletics at the 1995 Summer Universiade|1995 Summer Universiade]] and also the [[Chiba International Cross Country]] meeting.<ref>[http://www.gbrathletics.com/ic/wsgm.htm World Student Games (UNIVERSIADE - MEN)]. GBR Athletics. Retrieved 6 February 2011.</ref><ref>[https://www.arrs.run/HP_ChbXC.htm Chiba International Crosscountry]. [[Association of Road Racing Statisticians]] (15 February 2009). Retrieved 6 February 2011.</ref> He was based in Japan from early on in his early career and won the steeplechase at the Japanese Championships on three occasions.<ref>[http://www.gbrathletics.com/nc/jpn.htm Japanese Championships]. GBR Athletics. Retrieved 6 February 2011.</ref>

Njenga turned to [[marathon]] running and made his debut in 1995 at the Saitama Marathon in [[Ageo, Saitama]], [[Japan]], placing first, and then coming in tenth in his second marathon at the 1999 [[Fukuoka Marathon]]. His breakthrough year came in 2002 when he was the runner-up at the [[Beppu-Oita Marathon]] and [[Chicago Marathon]]. His time of 2:06:16 hours in Chicago made him the third fastest runner in the world for [[2002 in athletics (track and field)|2002]], behind only [[Khalid Khannouchi]] and [[Paul Tergat]]. He is known for his consistent, close finishes in the Chicago Marathon, finishing as runner-up three times and third on two occasions, between 2003 and 2007.<ref name=MI>[http://marathoninfo.free.fr/athletes/njenga_daniel.htm Njenga Daniel]. Marathon Info. Retrieved 6 February 2011.</ref> He was the 2006 winner of the [[Sendai Half Marathon]].<ref>Civai, Franco & Larner, Brett (1 September 2010). [https://www.arrs.run/HP_SendHM.htm Sendai Half Marathon]. [[Association of Road Racing Statisticians]]. Retrieved 6 February 2011.</ref> He won the [[Tokyo International Marathon]] in 2004 and then the reformed [[Tokyo Marathon]] in 2007.<ref name="MI"/> Njenga is a featured subject in the 2007 marathon documentary ''[[Spirit of the Marathon]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.marathonmovie.com/chicago/athletes.html#dnjenga |title=Spirit of the Marathon |access-date=2013-04-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141008044200/http://www.marathonmovie.com/chicago/athletes.html#dnjenga |archive-date=2014-10-08 |url-status=usurped }}</ref>

Njenga was victorious at the 2009 [[Hokkaido Marathon]] and took consecutive runner-up spots at the Beppu-Ōita Marathon in 2010 and 2011.<ref>{{cite news|last=Nakamura|first=Ken|date=6 February 2011|publisher=[[International Association of Athletics Federations|IAAF]]|url=http://www.iaaf.org/news/news/baday-wins-60th-annual-beppu-oita-mainichi-ma|title=Baday wins 60th annual Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon|access-date=25 April 2016}}</ref>

==Achievements==
{| {{AchievementTable|Event=yes}}
|-
!colspan="6"|Representing {{KEN}}
|-
|1995
|[[1995 Summer Universiade|Universiade]] 
|[[Fukuoka, Fukuoka|Fukuoka]], [[Japan]]
|bgcolor=gold | 1st
|3000 m s'chase
|8:27.03
|-
|1999
|[[Fukuoka Marathon]]
|[[Fukuoka]], [[Japan]]
|10th
|Marathon
|2:11:49
|-
|rowspan=2|2002
|[[Beppu-Ōita Marathon]]
|[[Beppu]] and [[Ōita, Ōita|Ōita]], [[Japan]]
|bgcolor="silver"|2nd
|Marathon
|2:12:43
|-
|[[Chicago Marathon]] 
|[[Chicago]], [[United States]]
|bgcolor=silver| 2nd
|Marathon
|'''2:06:16'''
|-
|2003
|[[Chicago Marathon]]
|[[Chicago]], [[United States]]
|bgcolor="cc9966"|3rd
|Marathon
|2:07:41
|-
|rowspan=2|2004
|[[Tokyo International Marathon]] 
|[[Tokyo]], [[Japan]]
|bgcolor=gold| 1st
|Marathon
|2:08:43
|-
|[[Chicago Marathon]]
|[[Chicago]], [[United States]]
|bgcolor=silver|2nd
|Marathon
|2:07:44
|-
|2005
|[[Chicago Marathon]]
|[[Chicago]], [[United States]]
|bgcolor="cc9966"|3rd
|Marathon
|2:07:14
|-
|2006
|[[Chicago Marathon]]
|[[Chicago]], [[United States]]
|bgcolor="silver"|2nd
|Marathon
|2:07:40
|-
|rowspan=2|2007
|[[Tokyo Marathon]] 
|[[Tokyo]], [[Japan]]
|bgcolor=gold| 1st
|Marathon
|2:09:45
|-
|[[Chicago Marathon]]
|[[Chicago]], [[United States]]
|bgcolor="cc9966"|3rd
|Marathon
|2:12:45
|-
|2009
|[[Hokkaido Marathon]] 
|[[Sapporo]], [[Japan]]
|bgcolor=gold| 1st
|Marathon
|2:12:03
|-
|2010
|[[Beppu-Ōita Marathon]] 
|[[Beppu]] and [[Ōita, Ōita|Ōita]], [[Japan]]
|bgcolor=silver| 2nd
|Marathon
|2:10:55
|-
|2011
|[[Beppu-Ōita Marathon]]
|[[Beppu]] and [[Ōita, Ōita|Ōita]], [[Japan]]
|bgcolor="gold"|1st
|Marathon
|2:10:24
|-
|2014
|[[Beppu-Ōita Marathon]]
|[[Beppu]] and [[Ōita, Ōita|Ōita]], [[Japan]]
|10th
|Marathon
|2:13:50
|}

==Notes==
*Daniel Njenga should not be confused with a similarly named Kenyan athlete, ''Daniel Mburu Njenga'', who was the winner of the 2008 Toronto Marathon and 2009 Mississauga Half Marathon.<ref>Campbell, Morgan (15 October 2010). [https://www.thestar.com/article/876416 Four runners, one common passion]. ''Toronto Star''. Retrieved 6 February 2011.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://results.sportstats.ca/find-an-athlete-find-a-race-search.php?lang=eng&first=DANIEL+MBURU&last=NJENGA |title=Njenga Daniel Mburu |website=Sportsstats.ca |access-date=6 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706203621/http://results.sportstats.ca/find-an-athlete-find-a-race-search.php?lang=eng&first=DANIEL+MBURU&last=NJENGA |archive-date=6 July 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{World Athletics}}

{{Footer Universiade Champions 3000 m Steeplechase Men}}
{{Footer Tokyo Marathon Champions Men}}
{{Japan Championships in Athletics men's 10,000 metres champions}}
{{Japan Championships in Athletics men's steeplechase champions}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Njenga, Daniel}}
[[Category:1976 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Kenyan male long-distance runners]]
[[Category:Kenyan male marathon runners]]
[[Category:Kenyan male steeplechase runners]]
[[Category:Tokyo Marathon male winners]]
[[Category:Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:FISU World University Games gold medalists for Kenya]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1995 Summer Universiade]]
[[Category:Japan Championships in Athletics winners]]