Champion of the Olympic marathon Kenya Wanjiru dead: police

NYAHURURU, Kenya  - champion Marathon Olympic Kenyan Samuel Wanjiru was killed when he jumped the balcony of his house late Sunday, police, said Monday.

Police said they were trying to verify if the 24-year-old - the first Kenyan to win the Olympic gold medal in the marathon in Beijing in 2008 - him-same had deliberately killed by jumping from the balcony at his home in Nyahururu, a town in the Rift Valleysome 150 km (94 miles) northwest of the capital Nairobi.

Jaspher Ombati, the head of the regional police for the region, said Wanjiru appeared to have suffered internal injuries after the fall and was confirmed by doctors at a nearby hospital.

"I can confirm that Wanjiru is dead." It is not yet clear if it was a suicide or if he jumped rabies, or what led to fall to the ground, "Ombati said to Reuters.

"He rose from his balcony on the first floor to the ground." He was bleeding from the nose and mouth and suffered internal injuries, "said the Chief of police.

Ombati said police were investigating a triangle possible love that could have been behind the death of Wanjiru, a former winner of the Chicago and London marathons.

Ombati said married athlete Triza Njeri came home to find Wanjiru in bed with another woman, had locked the couple in the bedroom and ran outside.

WANJIRU then jumped off the balcony, he said.

Ombati said Njeri and companion of the Wanjiru female help the police to investigate the death.

Last December, Wanjiru was charged in court with threat to kill Njeri and illegal possession of an AK-47 assault rifle.

Subsequently, Njeri withdrew the charge of attempted murder against him in court, saying that the couple had reconciled.

It has also suffered minor injuries from a car accident in January when he swerved to avoid an oncoming truck, hit a hole pot and rolled in his car.

WANJIRU defied Beijing heat in 2008 triumph in Olympic record time at the games in China.

A young man, Wanjiru moved to the Japan in 2002 to attend high school after winning a trial of selection of cross country to the Kenya.

Olympic marathon champion of Kenya dies after fall

NYAHURURU, Kenya - champion in the marathon Olympic Kenyan Samuel Wanjiru is died late Sunday after having jumped from the balcony on the first floor of his house in the Valley of the Rift, police told Reuters.

Chief of the regional police Jaspher Ombati said Wanjiru, 24, appeared to have suffered internal injuries after the fall and was confirmed by doctors at a nearby hospital.

"I can confirm that Wanjiru is dead." It is not yet clear if it was a suicide or if he jumped rabies, or what led to fall to the ground, "Ombati said to journalists.

"He rose from his balcony on the first floor to the ground." "He was bleeding from the nose and mouth and suffered internal injuries," said the Chief of police.

Video footage showed police watching spots of blood on the ground under the balcony of the House of Wanjiru to Nyahururu, a town in the Valley of the Rift some 150 km (94 miles) northwest of the capital Nairobi.

"Death of Wanjiru is not only a loss of his family and his friends but in the Kenya as a whole and the brotherhood of Athletics around the world," Prime Minister Raila Odinga said in a statement.

"As a nation in athletics, looks us forward to one pound sterling performance at the Olympic Games in London next year." Mr. Wanjiru is one of our bets ensure gold in the upcoming contest. "His death is therefore a big blow to our dreams," Odinga said.

TRIANGLE LOVER

Ombati said police were investigating a triangle possible love which could have been behind the death of Wanjiru, the first Kenyan to win gold in the marathon for the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008 and a former winner of the Chicago and London marathons.

Ombati said wife of Wanjiru, Triza Njeri, came home to find the runner in bed with another woman, locked the couple in the bedroom and ran outside.

WANJIRU then jumped off the balcony, said the Chief of police.

Police said Njeri and companion of the Wanjiru female helped the investigation.

Last December, Wanjiru was charged with threatening to kill Njeri and illegal possession of an AK-47 assault rifle.

Subsequently, Njeri withdrew the charge of attempted murder against him in court, saying that the couple had reconciled.

WANJIRU also suffered minor injuries from a car accident in January when he swerved to avoid an oncoming truck, hit a hole pot and rolled his vehicle.

The runner challenged Beijing heat in 2008 to triumph in Olympic record time of two hours, six minutes and 32 seconds at the games in China.

WANJIRU moved to Japan in 2002 as a young man to attend high school after winning a trial of selection of cross country to the Kenya.

Gold medallist Olympic switches to show business

HONG KONG - Liu Xuan strongly walked on stage as the entertainment of celebrity for an event of the mother's day at a shopping mall in Hong Kong. Olympic Games 2000 beam champion had exchanged his tights for a green blazer, jeans blue and white heels high.

Liu has small talk with the host, cakes decorated with two families and watched adolescents carving patterns in different fruits. Fans of large plates with his name and of autograph assailed and photos later.

Meet the new Liu Xuan, actress-singer of Hong Kong.

Ten years after the making of gold in Sydney, the former gymnast in 30 years has launched a second career in the financial centre, which is also a hub for the Chinese-language entertainment industry.

After his retirement in 2001, Liu has is as actress, host, gymnastics judge and commentator. She is a graduate of Beijing University with a degree in journalism in 2005. But it is concentrated on a career in entertainment since the signing in 2009 with the first broadcaster in Hong Kong TVB, the ground of the old formation of Stephen Chow, Wong Kar - wai and Chow Yun - fat.

This has been coming out of Liu year - she has released her first pop album with a label of Hong Kong in February and played in a comedy of kung fu TVB 30 episodes released in March.

Liu said that she wanted to show that athletes can reinvent itself successfully after their days of the end of the competition. It serves as an example for the Chinese athletes that their childhoods for rigorous sports programs which can leave with little other career of trade skills.

"We have seen in the continental part that many former champions are not lead a good life," Liu told Associated Press. "What we can do is show only after athletes retire, they did just coach or becomes men in business and political leaders." There are so many occupations in the world. "I hope that they can blend into society."

Others have also had success with the transition, including former Olympics Li Ning and Deng Yaping champions. Li, also a gymnast, remade surface as a sports clothing magnate. Table tennis player Deng studied economics at Cambridge, helped manage the Olympic Games of Beijing 2008 and became a media executive.

Liu discusses his switch of career athlete-artist in a small room dressing stoppered fortune after the Saturday mall event.

Registration of his new album "Beautiful Faces" taught him that music can be more on the construction of the good mood that any strategy of practice-fact-perfect, it can be used for gymnastics.

"The producer said in the recording studio, ' you should be relaxed when you sing." You need to benefit from the process. But now you are simply resort to repeat by heart. That won't work. Come and take a rest, "Liu says.

She said her gymnastics training came to practice to its role as a master of kung fu feisty woman in the "grace under fire" TVB Drama, but it must learn to manage the force of his kicking and punching.

She also had to suffer the notoriously frenetic schedules of shooting of the entertainment industry in Hong Kong, which left her with only four hours of sleep per night.

She said, the blades of the difficulties over his gymnastics training. Liu lived in a sports Institute in his hometown of South Changsha before moving to Beijing to join the national team at the age of 13. After she moved to the Chinese capital, she saw her parents once per year - or not at all.

Liu native dialect is Mandarin and his new career has required him to manage the used in Hong Kong Cantonese dialect. It is now quite common to speak at public events and be interviewed - although its dialogue on "grace under fire" has been dubbed yet.

The initial reaction to change career of Liu is promising.

His Duet with singer of Malaysia-Chinese Michael Wong of "Beautiful Faces" did well on the pop charts in Hong Kong. "When I fall in Love You Are that" reached No. 10 on RTHK, one of the major radio stations from the territory.

"grace under fire" saw its ratings climb regularly since its debut on 7 March, with the audience held up a little more than 2 million people in this city of 7 million for the last episode of the series on April 17.

She began discussions regarding another TVB Drama. Liu, said that she would not mind becomes a star of the action, even if it thinks that it can manage non-action roles.

So far, his music has been primarily the mellow ballads dominate Chinese pop, but Liu said that she prefers a more pointed rock sound, citing Avril Lavigne as a favorite singer West. The former gymnast also wrote the lyrics, penning a number inspired by a friend, hurt by a selfish boyfriend.

Liu is not the only former champion Olympic Chinese considering a career in entertainment. Former diver Tian Liang, a twice Olympic gold medallist, tries his hand at acting. His last film, "A beautiful life", in which he plays the main male autistic brother, will be released in mainland China, Friday.

Liu said that she feels that even if it is a rookie artist, the bar is set more high for him because of his successful career of gymnastics.

"I have to work even more hard", she said.