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David Rudisha Sets World Record for 800M
Photo by www.photorun.net: David Rudisha won the 800m in 1:43.25 on July 8 at the Diamond League meet in Lausanne, Switzerland.
46,512 spectators watched 21-year-old David Rudisha of Kenya set a new men's 800M world record of 1:41.09 on Sunday, August 22, 2010 at the ISTAF meet in Berlin, Germany. Rudisha broke the record held by Wilson Kipketer of Denmark, who raced 1:41.11 on August 24, 1997; he was assisted in his effort by outstanding pacemaking by Sammy Tangui, who covered the first 400M in 48.65.
The ISTAF track & field meet was held in Berlin's Olympic Stadium, site of the 1936 Olympic Games known to American fans for the gold medal feats of Jesse Owens. Last year's IAAF World Championships in Athletics were held on the same track; a disappointed David Rudisha missed qualifying for the 800M final by 7/100th of a second.
David Monti, Race Results Weekly, writes that David Rudisha is undefeated in 13 races during 2010, including a gold medal (1:42.84) at the African Championships on July 30, held at high altitude in Nairobi, Kenya. The IAAF list of top times for 2010 shows that Rudisha has 7 of the fastest 10 performances for 800m.
His father, Mzee Daniel Rudisha, is a former Olympic 400M athlete. He was a member of the Kenyan 4x400M relay team that won a silver medal at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City. The Kenyan Standard writes that his father was unable to watch the Berlin race at home in Kenya, "My television had a small mechanical problem and since I'm struggling with arthritis and partial loss of eyesight, I restrict my movements not very far from my house. The nearest television is a distance away and I could not go there to watch."
David Rudisha has not yet won an Olympic or World Championship medal. He will focus on training to win a title in 2011 (World Outdoor Championships) and 2012 (Olympic Games).
Watch a video of the race posted on YouTube.com with race commentary in German.