Malawian middle-distance runner
Kenneth Dzekedzeke
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| Nationality | Malawian |
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| Born | (1969-04-01) 1 April 1969 (age 55) |
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| Height | 185 cm (6 ft 1 in)[1] |
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| Sport | Middle-distance running |
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| Event | 800 metres |
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Kenneth Dzekedzeke (born 1 April 1969) is a Malawian middle-distance runner. He competed in the men's 800 metres at the 1988 Summer Olympics.[2]
Athletics career
Dzekedzeke initially started out as a trainer for his sister Mandaliza, a cross country competitor, before taking up competitive athletics himself in 1986.[3] After competing in school 400m and 800m events he gained the attention of British athletics coach Frank Gallagher, who helped develop him into a national and international-level athlete.[3]
He won silver at the Independence Celebration Games in Mozambique in 1987 and the same year set the Malawian 800m record at the All-Africa Games with a time of 1 minute 49; the record still stood as of 2012.[3]
Dzekedzeke placed sixth in the third heat at the 800m event at the 1988 Seoul Olympics; only the top three in each heat qualified. He went on to compete at the 1990 Commonwealth Games 800m heats and the 1991 All-Africa Games.[3]
Coaching career
Following these competitions Dzekedzeke won a scholarship to study a diploma in athletics coaching at the University of Mainz. He returned from Germany in 1993 and spent the next decade training Malawian athletes including Catherine Chikwakwa and Francis Munthali.[3] He has also served as an executive member of the Malawi Olympic Committee and as head coach for Malawian athletes at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.[3]
References
