( CNN ) -- Olympic marathon gold medalist Samuel Wanjiru died early Monday from injuries sustained after jumping from the balcony of his Nyahururu home in central Kenya , a senior police official said . Wanjiru jumped from the second-floor of his home late Sunday after his wife caught him in the company of another woman , said Jasper Ompati , a police official in Nyahururu . Wanjiru 's wife , Tereza Njeri , and another woman were taken to the police station to give statements but were not considered suspects , Ompati said . The death remains under investigation , he said . Njeri , who lives in Nairobi , returned home unexpectedly to find the two together , Ompati said . Wanjiru is believed to have jumped after his wife locked him inside a bedroom on the second floor , making it impossible for him to leave , he said . Wanjiru achieved worldwide fame when he became Kenya 's first Olympic marathon champion at the Beijing Games in 2008 . Kenyans were mourning the death of Wanjiru , who was considered a national hero . Hundreds were lining up to view his body at a Nyahururu funeral home . Athletics Kenya , the governing athletic body , said the country lost a great athlete . The association said it had pinned its hopes on Wanjiru to win another medal at the London Olympics in 2012 . `` He 's left a gap that will be hard to fill , '' said David Okeyo , the secretary-general of Athletics Kenya . The International Olympic Committee praised Wanjiru as an accomplished runner who will be remembered for winning his country 's first Olympic gold medal in the marathon and setting a new Olympic record in the process . `` Our thoughts are with his family and friends , '' the IOC said in a written statement sent to CNN . At 21 , Wanjiru was the youngest gold medal winner in the marathon at an Olympics since 1932 . After his Beijing triumph , Wanjiru has set about dominating the marathon distance , claiming a number of victories in races . It helped him be crowned the men 's champion in the 2009 and 2010 world marathon majors series . In recent years , Wanjiru has had a number of troubles . In December 2010 , Wanjiru was charged with making death threats against his wife and illegally possessing an AK47 rifle . At the time , prosecutors alleged Wanjiru was drunk when he made the threats . Wanjiru pleaded innocent to the charges during a court appearance in his home town of Nyahururu . His wife later dropped the charges , though he still faced a weapons charge . Wanjiru was forced to withdraw from the London Marathon , a premier running event ahead of the 2012 Olympics , after he was involved in an automobile accident in January in Kenya . Journalist Lillian Leposo contributed to this story .
NEW : International Olympic Committee praises Wanjiru as an accomplished runner . NEW : The IOC says `` Our thoughts are with his family and friends '' NEW : Police say Samuel Wanjiru died when he jumped from a balcony . Wanjiru 's death is under investigation , police say .