David Rudisha

David Lekuta Rudisha, MBS (born 17 December 1988) is a Kenyan middle-distance runner. He is the 2012 and 2016 Olympic champion, two-time World Champion (2011 and 2015), and world record holder in the 800 metres. Rudisha is the first and only person to ever run under 1:41 for the event,[3] and he holds the three fastest, six of the eight fastest, and half of the twenty fastest times ever run in this event.[4] He also holds the world's best time in the 500m, with a time of 57.69,[lower-alpha 1] and the African record for the 600m, with a time of 1:13.10. Rudisha has won a record 3 consecutive Track & Field Athlete of the Year awards (tied with Carl Lewis), and also won the IAAF World Athlete of the Year award in 2010.

David Rudisha

Rudisha in Beijing in 2015
Personal information
Birth name	David Lekuta Rudisha
Nationality	Kenyan
Born	(1988-12-17) 17 December 1988 Kilgoris, Narok County, Kenya
Height	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)[1]
Weight	76 kg (168 lb)[2]
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	800 metres
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	400 m: 45.15 (2013) 500 m: 57.69 WB[lower-alpha 1] (Newcastle upon Tyne 2016) 600 m: 1:13.10 AR (Birmingham 2016) 800 m: 1:40.91 WR (London 2012) 1000 m: 2:19.43 (Kingston 2017)
Medal record Men's athletics Representing Kenya Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 2 0 0 World Championships 2 0 0 World Junior Championships 1 0 0 World Indoor Championships 0 0 0 Commonwealth Games 0 1 0 African Championships 2 0 0 IAAF Continental Cup 1 0 0 Total 7 1 0 Olympic Games 2016 Rio de Janeiro 800 m 2012 London 800 m World Championships 2015 Beijing 800 m 2011 Daegu 800 m World Junior Championships 2006 Beijing 800 m Commonwealth Games 2014 Glasgow 800 m African Championships 2010 Nairobi 800 m 2008 Addis Ababa 800 m Representing Africa Continental Cup 2010 Split 800 m

Early life

Born on 17 December 1988 in Kilgoris, Narok County, Rudisha went to Kimuron Secondary School in Iten, Keiyo District. In April 2005, whilst under Brother Colm's tutelage, Japheth Kimutai, who was trained by Colm, recommended Rudisha to James Templeton, and Rudisha joined the group of runners managed by Templeton, which has at various time included Kimutai, Bernard Lagat and Augustine Choge.[5] Initially he was a 400 metres runner, but his coach, Irishman Colm O'Connell, prompted him to try 800 m. In 2006, he became the world junior champion over that distance.[6]

Career

Rudisha competed at the 2009 World Athletics Championships, reaching the 800 metres semifinals. In September 2009, Rudisha won the IAAF Grand Prix meeting in Rieti, Italy, posting a new African record of 1:42.01, beating the 25-year-old record of 1:42.28 set by compatriot Sammy Koskei. That effort put him in fourth place on the all-time list.[7] In the 2010 IAAF Diamond League, he took on Abubaker Kaki at the Bislett Games in June. He defeated Sebastian Coe's 31-year-old meet record with a run of 1:42.04, giving him another place in the top-ten fastest ever 800 m and leaving Kaki the consolation of the fastest ever non-winning time.[8] On 10 July 2010, Rudisha ran the 800 m in 1:41.51 at the KBC Night of Athletics in Heusden, Belgium; this new personal record placed him No. 2 all-time in the world for the 800 m.[9]

On 22 August 2010 Rudisha broke Wilson Kipketer's 800 m World Record two days before the anniversary of that record with a time of 1:41.09 while racing in the ISTAF meeting in Berlin. Just a week later, he broke the record again at the Rieti Diamond League Meeting, lowering it to 1:41.01

In November 2010, at the age of 21, he became the youngest ever athlete to win the IAAF World Athlete of the Year award. He also won the Kenyan Sportsman of the Year award.[10]

With a time of 1:41.74, Rudisha set the United States all comers 800 m record at the 2012 adidas Grand Prix at Icahn Stadium in New York City.[11] He guaranteed his selection for the Kenyan Olympic team for the first time with a win at the Kenyan trials, running a time of 1:42.12 minutes—the fastest ever recorded at altitude.[12]

Rudisha currently holds the world record of 1:40.91 for the 800 m, set at the London 2012 Olympics on 9 August 2012.[13] He has the three fastest times recorded and six of the top eight fastest times in the 800m.[14]

2012 Summer Olympics

On 9 August 2012 at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Rudisha led from start to finish to win gold in what was acclaimed "The Greatest 800 Meter Race Ever".[15] In so doing, he became the first and, so far, only runner to break the 1:41 barrier for 800 m.[16] From the start of the race, Rudisha led and pulled away from the rest of the field after 200 metres, completing the first lap in 49.28 seconds. By 600 metres his lead had grown to several metres. He continued to pull away until the final straight, where second place Nigel Amos was able to slightly gain some ground as Rudisha strained. But the gap was much too great to close, and Rudisha crossed the line in a world-record time of 1:40.91.

Rudisha's competitors all ran exceptional times. Sports Illustrated's David Epstein reported that the race "is best told, perhaps, in 16 letters: WR, NR, PB, PB, PB, NR, SB, PB." (That is to say that the participants broke World Record, National Record, Personal Best, Personal Best, National Record, Season Best, Personal Best)[17] The silver medallist, Amos, had to be carried from the track on a stretcher after setting the world junior record and make him only the fifth man in history to run under 1:42,[18] something Rudisha has now done seven times.[19] "With Rudisha breaking 1:41, two men under 1:42, five under 1:43 and all eight under 1:44," noted the IAAF, "it was the greatest depth 800m race in history."[20] Every competitor ran the fastest time in history for their placing.[16] It was the first time in international 800m history where every competitor ran either a personal or season's best.[21] The time set by the eighth-placed Andrew Osagie, a personal best of 1:43.77, would have won gold at the three preceding Olympic games in Beijing, Athens and Sydney.[22][23]

As well as being the first man to go below 1:41, he broke his own world record that was set in 2010. "The splits triggered amazement: 23.4 secs for the first 200 m, 25.88 secs for the second, a critical 25.02 for the third and 26.61 to bring it all home."[24] Rudisha's record was considered especially notable for the absence of pacemakers,[25] which are not permitted at the Olympics or other major championships. The previous person to win an Olympic 800 m final with a world record was Alberto Juantorena, back in 1976.[20] Rudisha also became the first reigning 800 m world champion to win Olympic gold at that distance.[25] Sebastian Coe, of the London Olympics organising committee who himself held the 800m world record for 17 years, said: "It was the performance of the Games, not just of track and field but of the Games".[26] He added: "Bolt was good, Rudisha was magnificent. That is quite a big call but it was the most extraordinary piece of running I have probably ever seen."[27] Rudisha had been in good shape coming into the race, having "clocked a staggering 1:42.12 minutes at high altitude in Nairobi during the Kenyan Olympic trials. After that he had said 'the race was nice and easy'."[20]

Before the race, Rudisha had joked about his father's 1968 400 m relay silver medal: "It would be good for me to win gold, so we can have gold and silver in our family . . . so I can tell him, 'I am better than you.'"[18] Afterwards, he admitted that it would go down as the greatest 800 race personally for him as well because he won it in front of Sebastian Coe who held the record for more than 17 years. This race was also touted as a run for his community and tribe.[28] Rudisha was later given the Association of National Olympic Committees Award for Best Male Athlete of London 2012,[29] as well as receiving the honour of Moran of the Order of the Burning Spear (MBS) from the government of Kenya.[30]

2013

He could not compete at the 2013 World Championships in Athletics because of an injury.[31]

2015

At the New York IAAF Diamond League meeting in June 2015, Rudisha won the 800m with a time of 1:43.58.[32]

Rudisha won his second world 800m title at the World Championships in China. In a relatively tactical race, after a first lap of only 54.17 he won in a time of 1:45.84 [33]

2016

Rudisha successfully defended his Olympic title at the 2016 Summer Olympics, taking gold with a time of 1:42.15. He was the first person since Peter Snell in 1964 to win back-to-back Olympic 800m titles.[34][35] The final went out very quickly with fellow Kenyan Alfred Kipketer leading through 200m in 23.2 sec. Rudisha was tucked in close behind through a 49.3 first 400m. With just under 300m to go Rudisha made a strong surge to the front. A large gap was formed that proved too much for fast closing Taoufik Makhloufi of Algeria in the final homestretch.[36] His finishing time was the fastest he has run since the 2012 Olympic final in London, as well as the fastest time in the world for 2016.[37]

2017

Rudisha finished 4th at the Shanghai Diamond League meet. His time was 1:45.36.[38] The winning time was 1:44.70.[39] Rudisha attempted the 1000m for the first time at the Golden Spike Ostrava in 2017, finishing 4th with a PR time of 2:19.43.[40]

Coaching

At the 2012 Olympics, Rudisha worked with Caroline Currid, an Irish mental performance coach, on how to maximise performance on competition day.[41][42][43][44][45]

Personal life

Rudisha is a member of the Maasai ethnic group in Kenya.[6] His father, Daniel Rudisha, was a former runner who won the silver medal at the 1968 Olympics as part of the Kenyan 4 × 400 m relay team, while his mother Naomi is a former 400 m hurdler.[46] He is married to Lizzy Naanyu with two daughters (as of 2015).[46] Tom Fordyce of the BBC said of him, "He is the greatest 800m runner of all time and he may also be the nicest man in his sport."[34]

On 24 August 2019, Rudisha collided with a bus head on in his SUV near Keroka, Kenya. Rudisha was taken to a nearby hospital but later tweeted that he was 'fine with no injuries'.[47][48][49]

He is a supporter of the football club Arsenal F.C.[50]

Achievements

Rudisha at the 2010 Memorial van Damme.

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
Representing  Kenya
2006	World Junior Championships	Beijing, China	1st	800m	1:47.40
			4th	4 × 400 m relay	3:05.54
2007	African Junior Championships	Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso	1st	800 m	1:46.41[51]
2008	African Championships	Addis Ababa, Ethiopia	1st	800 m	1:44.20
2009	World Athletics Final	Thessaloniki, Greece	1st	800 m	1:44.85
2010	African Championships	Nairobi, Kenya	1st	800 m	1:42.84
2011	World Championships	Daegu, South Korea	1st	800 m	1:43.91
2012	Olympic Games	London, United Kingdom	1st	800 m	1:40.91
2014	Commonwealth Games	Glasgow, Scotland	2nd	800 m	1:45.48
2015	World Championships	Beijing, China	1st	800 m	1:45.84
2016	Olympic Games	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	1st	800 m	1:42.15
2017	Golden Spike	Ostrava, Czech Republic	4th	1000 m	2:19.43

References

1. Although, this was a road race and the course was slightly downhill for the first 100m.

1. Wokabi, James; Mutuota, Mutwiri (15 July 2008). "Focus on Athletes: David Lekuta Rudisha". IAAF.org. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
2. "David Rudisha Bio, Stats, and Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020.
3. Bull, Andy (9 August 2012). "David Rudisha breaks world record to win Olympic 800m gold for Kenya". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
4. "Men's 800 Metres All-Time List". IAAF.org. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
5. Robinson, Georgina (16 June 2012). "Running the show". smh.com.au. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
6. Wenig, Jörg (13 September 2009). "Rudisha: Following in the footsteps of Konchellah and Kipketer?". IAAF.org. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
7. Sampaolo, Diego (6 September 2009). "Rudisha 1:42.01 African 800m record in Rieti". IAAF.org. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
8. "Middle distance magic in Oslo". IAAF.org. 4 June 2010. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
9. Hendrix, Ivo (10 July 2010). "Phenomenal 1:41.51 for Rudisha in Heusden-Zolder". IAAF.org. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
10. The Standard, 11 December 2010: Rudisha and Lagat crowned Soya best athletes
11. "Men's 800m". Diamond League, New York. Archived from the original on 11 September 2012. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
12. Mutuota, Mutwiri (23 June 2012). "Rudisha runs 1:42.12 at altitude". IAAF.org. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
13. Rostance, Tom (9 August 2012). "David Rudisha breaks 800m world record in Olympics win". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 8 November 2012. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
14. "World Outdoor All-Time List, Men". Track and Field News. 4 June 2010. Archived from the original on 28 April 2013. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
15. Cacciola, Scott (9 August 2012). "The Greatest 800 Metres Ever Run". WSJ.com. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
16. Ramsak, Bob (9 August 2012). "Stunning! Rudisha 1:40.91 World Record in London!". IAAF.org. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
17. Epstein, David (10 August 2012). "World record leaves us wondering, how low can Rudisha go in 800?". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
18. Bull, Andy (9 August 2012). "David Rudisha breaks world record to win Olympic 800m gold for Kenya". guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
19. "Senior Outdoor 800 Metres men". IAAF.org. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
20. Wenig, Jörg (10 August 2012). "Rudisha produces a moment for which the Games will be remembered". IAAF.org. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
21. http://london2012.bbc.co.uk/athletics/event/men-800m/index.html
22. Rostance, Tom (10 August 2012). "David Rudisha's Olympics & world record 800m win 'unbelievable'". BBC Sport. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
23. C, Robert. "Beaten David Rudisha named in Kenya Olympic team". omriyadat.com.
24. Fordyce, Tom (10 August 2012). "Usain Bolt & David Rudisha: Olympic stars united in greatness". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
25. Epstein, David (10 August 2012). "World record leaves us wondering, how low can Rudisha go in 800?". sportsillustrated.cnn.com. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
26. Gibson, Owen (10 August 2012). "David Rudisha's front running for 800m gold is lauded by Sebastian Coe". guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
27. Scott-Elliot, Robin (11 August 2012). "Coe: Rudisha's run was greater than Bolt's". independent.co.uk. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
28. Gendelman, David (5 July 2012). "David Rudisha: The Best Olympic Track Star You've Never Heard Of". VanityFair.com. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
29. "David Rudisha gets ANOC award for best male athlete of London 2012". iaaf.org. 7 November 2014. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
30. Agina, Ben (14 December 2014). "Dedicated Kenyans receive awards". The Standard. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
31. "Flotrack.org". flotrack.org. Archived from the original on 21 August 2013. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
32. Rowbottom, Mike. "Bolt says New York IAAF Diamond League meeting win is "one of the worst races I’ve run", "Inside the Games", 13 June 2015. Retrieved on 3 July 2015.
34. "Rio Olympics 2016: David Rudisha retains 800m crown". BBC Sport. 16 August 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
35. "Rio 2016: 800m win for Rudisha in Rio ahead of Bolt's return". OmRiyadat English. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
36. "IAAF: Report: men's 800m final – Rio 2016 Olympic Games- News - iaaf.org". iaaf.org.
37. "IAAF: David RUDISHA - Profile". iaaf.org.
38. "David RUDISHA | Profile". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
39. "Programme 2018 & Results - Diamond League - Shanghai". shanghai.diamondleague.com.
40. "IAAF: 1000 Metres Result - 56th Ostrava Golden Spike - iaaf.org". iaaf.org.
41. http://www.kotinospartners.com/about/our-team-and-partners
42. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 10 January 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2019.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
43. http://botswanaunplugged.com/10674/i-wont-return-home-soon-nijel-amos/
44. https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/hurling/four-all-ireland-titles-with-four-different-counties-meet-the-most-soughtafter-women-in-the-gaa-37230007.html
45. https://www.accreate.com/insights/entry/ireland-vs-all-blacks-who-will-be-the-victor
46. China Daily, 8 September 2010: Feature: Kenya's Rudisha receives heroic welcome
47. "David Rudisha: Olympic champion thankful after surviving car accident". bbc.co.uk. 26 August 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
48. Rudisha, David [@rudishadavid] (25 August 2019). "Thanking the Almighty God for the gift of life" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
49. "David Rudisha: Olympic 800m champion on personal struggles, and Tokyo comeback". BBC Sport. 10 March 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
50. The Telegraph, 10 August 2012: London 2012 Olympics: David Rudisha, the athletics star eclipsed by Usain Bolt
51. Ouma, Mark (13 August 2007). "Rudisha takes expected gold in Ouagadougou as African junior championships conclude". IAAF.org. Retrieved 9 November 2012.

External links

• David Rudisha profile
• David Rudisha at World Athletics

Records
Preceded by Wilson Kipketer	Men's 800 metres world record holder 29 August 2010 – present	Succeeded by Incumbent
Awards
Preceded by Usain Bolt	IAAF World Athlete of the Year 2010	Succeeded by Usain Bolt
Preceded by Usain Bolt	Men's Track & Field Athlete of the Year 2010–2012	Succeeded by Bohdan Bondarenko
Sporting positions
Preceded by Abubaker Kaki	Men's 800 metres best year performance 2009–2012	Succeeded by Mohammed Aman