Eric Wainaina, a prominent Kenyan former marathon runner and two-time Olympic medalist, has been referred to prosecutors in Tokyo for his alleged involvement in an assault incident.
The 50-year-old athlete, who clinched a bronze medal in Atlanta in 1996 and a silver in Sydney in 2000, faces accusations of physically assaulting a woman and a male station worker at Komazawa-daigaku Station on March 27.
According to police reports, the incident occurred around 10 p.m., where Wainaina is suspected of attacking a woman under the age of 20 and a male staff member in his 50s. The altercation purportedly stemmed from a dispute over the use of a smartphone while on a train.
Wainaina and the woman engaged in a confrontation, which escalated upon disembarking from the train, leading to Wainaina allegedly slapping both the woman and the station employee who intervened.
Acknowledging the accusations, Wainaina admitted to the police, “There are things I don’t remember because I was too drunk, but I think it is what happened.” He also expressed remorse and a desire to apologize to the victims for his actions.
