Gary Kikaya

Gary Kikaya (born February 4, 1980) is an athlete competing internationally for the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the 400 metres. He was born in Kinshasa.

At the age of 12 his family moved to Johannesburg, South Africa, where his father, a career diplomat, served as the Congolese Ambassador to South Africa. Like most Southern African youths, his sporting interests began with rugby and soccer.

Education

He attended Queens High School in Johannesburg where he only turned to athletics as a senior in 1999 after watching the World Cup, in Johannesburg, the year before. He achieved the school's highest accolade in the form of a School Honours Blazer.He received a scholarship to study at Rand Afrikaans University (RAU), now the University of Johannesburg (UJ), was thereafter recruited by the University of Tennessee.Kikaya graduated in sociology at University of Tennessee in Tennessee, United States.

Family

Kikaya is the son of Ambassador Kikaya bin Karubi, a former Information Minister of the Congo, and a former Special Assistant to President Joseph Kabila. He is currently an MP for the Kasongo territory of the Maniema province, in the National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Achievements

*2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships - bronze medal
*2006 Africa Athletics Championship - gold medal

*Kikaya became the fastest non American athlete of all time (11th fastest man over 400m), running a new African record of 44.10 seconds to come second to Jeremy Wariner at the World Athletics Final 2006 in Stuttgart. [http://www.iaaf.org/WAF06/news/Kind=2/newsId=36138.html] [http://www.alltime-athletics.com/m_400ok.htm]

http://www.iaaf.org/news/athletes/newsid=36358.html