NYAHURURU, Kenya, May 16 — Kenyan Olympic marathon champion Samuel Wanjiru was killed when he jumped off the balcony of his home late yesterday, police said today.

Police said they were trying to ascertain whether the 24-year-old — the first Kenyan to win the Olympic gold in the marathon at Beijing in 2008 — had deliberately killed himself by jumping off the balcony at his home in Nyahururu, a town in the Rift Valley, some 150km northwest of the capital Nairobi.

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

"I can confirm that Wanjiru is dead," Ombati told Reuters. "It is not yet clear whether it was a suicide or if he jumped out of rage, or what caused him to fall to the ground.

"He jumped from his first-floor balcony to the ground. He was bleeding from the nose and the mouth, and may have suffered internal injuries."

Ombati said police were investigating a possible love triangle that could have been behind the death of Wanjiru, who had also previously won the Chicago and London marathons.

Ombati said Wanjiru's wife, Triza Njeri, had come home to find Wanjiru in bed with another woman, had locked the couple in the bedroom, and run outside.

Wanjiru then leapt from the balcony, he said.

Ombati said Njeri and Wanjiru's female companion are helping police in investigations.

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

Njeri later in court withdrew her accusation of attempted murder, saying the couple had reconciled.

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

Wanjiru defied the heat of Beijing in 2008 to triumph in an Olympic record time.

As a young man, Wanjiru moved to Japan in 2002 to attend high school after winning a cross country selection trial in Kenya. — Reuters

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CHICAGO, May 16 — Chicago drew first blood in their Eastern Conference finals series with the Miami Heat, easily winning yesterday's opening game 103-82.

Chicago's MVP Derrick Rose scored 28 points but it was the Bulls' defence that really stood up, strangling Miami's scorers.

Chris Bosh managed a game-high 30 points for the Heat, but Dwyane Wade got just 18 and LeBron James 15.

The second of the best-of-seven series is on Wednesday. —Reuters

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