Suleiman Nyambui
Nyambui (#649; far left), Yifter (#191), and Maaninka (#208) at the 1980 Summer Olympics | ||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||
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Born | (1953-02-13) February 13, 1953 (age 71) Majita Musoma, Mara Region, Tanganyika Territory (now Tanzania) | |||||||||||||||||
Sport | ||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Track | |||||||||||||||||
Event(s) | 1500 metres, Mile, 2-mile, 5000 metres, 10,000 metres, Marathon | |||||||||||||||||
College team | UTEP | |||||||||||||||||
Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||
Personal best(s) | 1500 metres: 3:35.8[1] Mile: 3:51.94[1] Indoor 2-mile: 8:17.9[1] 5000 metres: 13:12.29[1] 10,000 metres: 27:51.73[1] Marathon: 2:09:52[1] | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Suleiman Nyambui (born February 13, 1953) is a former track athlete from Tanzania who specialized in various long-distance disciplines. Nyambui won the bronze medal at the 1978 All-Africa Games, the silver medal in 5000 metres at the 1980 Summer Olympics, and finished first at three consecutive marathons between 1987 and 1988. He holds multiple indoor national records of Tanzania in athletics.
Running career
Early life
Nyambui had dropped out of school after primary education. He became a fisherman in Ukerewe District in Mwanza Region, where his potential as a good athlete was spotted by the Region's Athletic Organization. The organization helped in his training and afforded him facilities and guidance in making him a national and international athlete. He also had joined the Tanzania National Service before he went to train as a teacher. He taught school at Bukumbi (20 miles from Mwanza City) before moving to the United States to study for his bachelor's and master's degrees at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). Then he took a contract to train Bahraini athletes along with Canadian coaches Craig Taylor and Greg Peters from 1996-1998. After that he moved back to Tanzania.
Collegiate
He attended UTEP from 1978 to 1982, where, as an older athlete (he was 29 when he graduated), he won four straight NCAA titles in the 10,000 meters, one of only five Division I men to ever accomplish such a feat, and the only Division I man to win four straight indoor 1 mile championships. He also won three straight NCAA titles in the 5,000 meters while at UTEP and was the 1980 NCAA Cross Country champion. In a memorable Millrose Games race in New York in February 1981, Nyambui broke the world indoor 5,000 meter record with a 13:20.4, just ahead of Alberto Salazar who broke the American indoor 5,000 meter record.
Post-collegiate
Nyambui would go on to represent Tanzania in the men's 5000 metre race at the 1980 Summer Olympics, where he finished second behind only Miruts Yifter. After running shorter-distance races, Nyambui would go on to run several marathons, winning the Berlin Marathon on two occasions and the Stockholm Marathon in 1988.
References
- ^ a b c d e f All-Athletics. "Profile of Suleiman Nyambui".
External links
- sports-reference
Sporting positions | ||
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Preceded by | Men's 5,000-m Best Year Performance 1979 | Succeeded by |
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Amateur Athletic Union
- 1899: Alec Grant
- 1900: Alec Grant
- 1901: Alec Grant
- 1903: Alec Grant
- 1904: George Bonhag
- 1905: George Bonhag
- 1906: George Bonhag
- 1907: George Bonhag
- 1908: Mike Driscoll
- 1909: Mike Driscoll
- 1910: Joseph Monument
- 1911: George Bonhag
- 1913: William Kramer
- 1914: Harry Smith
- 1915: Michael Devaney
- 1916: Joie Ray
- 1917: John Ryan
- 1918: Edward Garvey
- 1919: Gordon Nightingale
- 1920: Harry Helm
- 1921: Max Bohland
- 1922: John Romig
- 1923: Joie Ray
- 1924: Joie Ray
- 1925: Paavo Nurmi (FIN), Harold Kennedy (2nd)
- 1926: William Goodwin
- 1927: William Goodwin
- 1928: Leo Lermond
- 1929: Edvin Wide (SWE), Robert Dalrymple (2nd)
- 1930: Joe McCluskey
- 1931: Leo Lermond
- 1932: George Lermond
- 1933: George Lermond
- 1934: John Follows
- 1935: John Follows
- 1936: Norm Bright
- 1937: Norm Bright
- 1938: Don Lash
- 1939: Don Lash
- 1940: Greg Rice
- 1941: Greg Rice
- 1942: Greg Rice
- 1943: Greg Rice
- 1944: Oliver Hunter
- 1945: Forest Efaw
- 1946: Forest Efaw
- 1947: Curt Stone
- 1948: Curt Stone
- 1949: Gaston Reiff (BEL), Fred Wilt (3rd)
- 1950: Curt Stone
- 1951: Curt Stone
- 1952: Horace Ashenfelter
- 1953: Horace Ashenfelter
- 1954: Horace Ashenfelter
- 1955: Horace Ashenfelter
- 1956: Horace Ashenfelter
- 1957: John Macy (POL), Alex Breckenridge (2nd)
- 1958: Veliša Mugoša (YUG), John Macy (2nd)
- 1959: Bill Dellinger
- 1960: Al Lawrence (AUS), Lew Stieglitz (2nd)
- 1961: Bruce Kidd (CAN), John Macy (3rd)
- 1962: Bruce Kidd (CAN), Jared Nourse (4th)
- 1963: Michel Bernard (FRA), Bob Schul (2nd)
- 1964: Ron Clarke (AUS), Pete McArdle (2nd)
- 1965: Billy Mills
- 1966: Lajos Mecser (HUN), Tracy Smith (2nd)
- 1967: Tracy Smith
- 1968: George Young
- 1969: George Young
- 1970: Art DuLong
- 1971: Frank Shorter
- 1972: Emiel Puttemans (BEL), Leonard Hilton (2nd)
- 1973: Tracy Smith
- 1974: Dick Tayler (NZL), Frank Shorter (2nd)
- 1975: Miruts Yifter (ETH), Pat Manders (3rd)
- 1976: Suleiman Nyambui (TAN), Greg Fredericks (2nd)
- 1977: Suleiman Nyambui (TAN), Garry Bjorklund (3rd)
- 1978: Suleiman Nyambui (TAN), Marty Liquori (2nd)
- 1979: Marty Liquori
The Athletics Congress
- 1980: Eamonn Coghlan (IRL), Bruce Bickford (3rd)
- 1981: Eamonn Coghlan (IRL), Dick Buerkle (2nd)
- 1982: Paul Cummings
- 1983: Doug Padilla
- 1984: Doug Padilla
- 1985: Doug Padilla
- 1986: Doug Padilla
- 1987: Doug Padilla
- 1988: Jim Spivey
- 1989: Steve Scott
- 1990: Doug Padilla
- 1991: Terry Brahm
- 1992: Doug Padilla
USA Track & Field
- 1993: Joe Falcon
- 1994: Moses Kiptanui (KEN), Matt Giusto (2nd)
- 1995: Bob Kennedy
- 1996: Bob Kennedy
- 1997: Todd Williams
- 1998: Dan Browne
- 1999: Adam Goucher
- 2000: Ray Appenheimer
- 2001: Tim Broe
- 2002: Tim Broe
- 2003: Jonathon Riley
- 2004: Jonathon Riley
- 2005: Jonathon Riley
- 2006: Adam Goucher
- 2007: Matt Tegenkamp
- 2008: Matt Tegenkamp
- 2009: David Torrence
- 2010: Bernard Lagat
- 2011: Bernard Lagat
- 2012: Bernard Lagat
- 2013: Will Leer
- 2014: Bernard Lagat
- 2015: Ryan Hill
- 2016: Ryan Hill
- 2017: Paul Chelimo
- 2018: Paul Chelimo
- 2019: Drew Hunter
- 2020: Paul Chelimo
- 2022: Cole Hocker
- 2023: Sam Prakel
- 2024: Yared Nuguse