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Daniel Wanjiru was the surprise winner of the 2017 Virgin Money London Marathon, where he held off the challenge of Ethiopian track legend Kenenisa Bekele to clinch his first Abbott World Marathon Majors race victory and succeed Olympic gold medalist Eliud Kipchoge as London Marathon champion. Wanjiru had started as the sixth-fastest man in the field, but he was in good form, having broken the course record to win the 2016 Amsterdam Marathon six months earlier. He took nearly three minutes from his personal best when he won in the Dutch city in 2:05:21.

Wanjiru ran his first half marathon in 2010, and since then has had an impressive record at the distance with five international victories and three sub-60 minute times. Most recently he was second behind Mo Farah in the Big Half in London in 1:01:43. He was eighth at the IAAF World Championships when he returned to the British capital later in 2017.

He made his marathon debut in Frankfurt in 2014, when he was seventh in 2:08:18. He also has two titles at the Prague Half Marathon.

Wanjiru trains in Embu in Kenya’s Eastern Province, where he is coached by 2006 Seoul Marathon champion Jason Mbote. He has two children.