Kenyan star David Rudisha traveled to South Korea with some big titles to his name, including those of 800-meter world record holder and 2010 IAAF Male Athlete of the Year. But Rudisha, whose parents were also track athletes, went to Asia knowing he had not yet been crowned a world champion or an Olympic champion. Rudisha achieved one of his major goals Tuesday, winning his first world title with a smooth, powerful run during which he led from nearly start to finish. Let’s check it out in this video:
Rudisha clocked 1:43.91 in the final in Daegu, almost three seconds off his world record, which he broke twice in 2010, once in Germany and then a week later in Italy. But his slower time in South Korea is to be expected. World championship races tend to be more tactical, with athletes pacing themselves after getting through often grueling qualifying heats.
In Daegu, Rudisha renewed his rivalry with Sudan’s Abubaker Kaki, who won the silver medal (in 1:44.41), and who, like Rudisha, is 22 years old. “All the time when we’re together we have a great race,” said Rudisha, “pushing each other, which is also good for the fans because they like it when we race together. It’s good for us both to come here and win gold and silver, it was a good show and it was very exciting.”