David Rudisha Carries On Kenya's 800m Legacy
In 6 years, Kenyan 800m sprinter David Rudisha has gone from a decathlete to the world’s best runner in the two-lap sprint. In 2010, he seems poised to break the 800m world record that was set by his countryman Wilson Kipketer in 1997.
During 2010, Rudisha has finished all his 800m races under the 1:45.00 mark. In September 2009, he broke the African record in the distance by clocking in at 1:42.01 at the IAAF Grand Prix in Reiti, Italy.
On July 10th of this year, Rudisha became the second fastest man in the distance when he finished his race during the KBC Night of Athletics in Heusden, Belgium at 1:41.51, only 0.40 seconds short of Kipketer’s 1997 world record.
Inspired to become a sprinter by his father Daniel Rudisha, an Olympic silver medalist, it wasn’t until his last year of primary school that Rudisha began to train solely as a sprinter.
In 2005, he began his secondary education at St. Patrick’s Iten in Kenya, where Irish athletics coach Brother Colm O’Connell took Rudisha under his wings.
In his first race away from home at the World Junior Championships in Beijing in 2006, Rudisha held off until the last 100m of the race, when he sprinted ahead of the pack to clinch the gold medal.
The following year, in 2007, Rudisha won the African Junior Championships in Ouagadougou, and also claimed the African Championships in 2008. Later that year, Rudisha suffered the most disappointing setback of his career.
With a devastating calf injury, Rudisha missed the Kenyan trials for the Beijing Olympics. Unable to compete in the event he had been training for throughout the season, Rudisha emphasized his youth and the need to have patience in sports when asked about his disappointment.
His injury problems meant he would spend most of 2008 rehabilitating his calf while preparing to train for the 2009 World Championships in Berlin.
Once in Berlin, though, Rudisha surprised many by only reaching the 800m semi-finals, where he finished third but did not qualify for the final race.
“The problem was that I ran further back in my semi final in Berlin, relying on my sprint,” Rudisha said of his semi-final run.
“But when I was trying to get forward there was a lot of pushing. Then I had another problem, when I was kicking, because I felt that my hamstring was tight. It was so cool and windy on that day that even after the warm-up I was not really warm. But it was a good experience at my first major championships. And next time I will correct this,” he added.
Always displaying confidence and humility, the 21 year-old Kenyan is willing to learn from all the obstacles he has to face in his career. After the World Championships, he reverted back to his winning ways by clocking the new African record.
In his performances this season, Rudisha has looked certain to creep closer to Kipketer’s world record. With his long stride and smooth running style, the 1.90m tall Kenyan looks stronger and more confident for every race.
His 2010 form even led Kipketer to back Rudisha as the primary contender to his world record, letting the international press know that he wouldn’t be surprised if the young sprinter beat his personal best during the current season.
Rudisha, who lets his performances on the track speak for him, remains modest ahead of the challenge. “My goal this year is to reduce my personal best, I know I’m going to do it,” he recently said of his 2010 ambitions.
Judging by his stunning performance in Belgium last week, it seems that by continuing to lower his personal best, Rudisha may just break a new world record as well.
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