Kenya's Olympic champ Samuel Wanjiru escapes rolling car

Kenya's Olympic marathon champion Samuel Wanjiru escaped with minor injuries after rolling his car in Kenya's Rift Valley, police said on Saturday.

Wanjiru, who faces criminal charges relating to possessing an illegal firearm and threatening to kill his wife, emerged from the wreckage of his car with scratches, area police officer Johnstone Ipara said.

Wanjiru, 24, was driving to his Nyahururu home on Friday when he swervevd to avoid an oncoming lorry, hit a pothole and rolled his Lexus.

"The vehicle was extensively damaged and its windscreen completely shattered. The lorry did not stop after the accident," area police officer Johnstone Ipara told reporters.

Kenya's road safety record is abysmal and the country's roads are notorious for their ubiquitous potholes. Last month, five-times world cross country champion and former world marathon record holder Paul Tergat suffered a broken leg in a road accident.

Wanjiru defied the heat of Beijing two years ago to triumph in an Olympic record time at the Games held in China.