David Rudisha
David Rudisha
David Lekuta Rudisha, MBSis a Kenyan middle-distance runner. He is the current Olympic champion, World champion and world record holder in the 800 metres. Rudisha was the first person to run under 1:41 for the event, and he holds the three fastest, six of the eight fastest, and half of the twenty fastest times ever run in this event. Rudisha has won a record 3 consecutive Track & Field Athlete of the Year awards, and also won the IAAF World...
NationalityKenyan
ProfessionRunner
Date of Birth17 December 1988
CityKilgoris, Kenya
CountryKenya
I knew I would be running with so many people watching all over the world because of him. People love Bolt. He has many fans out there because of his great achievements and breaking world records in Olympics. I've done the same and it's a great honour. I'm happy and I'm happy for him.
The weather plays a very big role. I have run very few races in the raining and the cold.
My focus in 2010 was on just running fast races. My focus in 2011 was for winning at the World Championships. This year has been a combination of the two so we'll see what kind of time it brings.
Already in 2007 I thought I would be able to break the World record in the near future. That time Sammy Tangui was the pacemaker in Lausanne. I liked the way he was running. He is tall, he has a strong body and his stride is similar to mine. I told him in one of the coming years I would need him when I try to break the World record.
When I was a little boy, I always wanted to run. I loved competing with my friends.
I realized I could run after finding out that my dad used to run and it gave me the morale that if he did it then maybe I could also run.
Billy Konchellah with his World Championship titles, Paul Ereng with his Olympic gold and Wilson Kipketer with his World records are my role models.
I realised I could run after finding out that my dad used to run and it gave me the morale that if he did it then maybe I could also run.
You do, mostly, in track, different sessions, sprinting and medium sessions in different style. You have to see that even if the pace is slow in championships, you can still sprint well and you can still power the last 200, which is always the main part when the race is slow.
Brother Colm is one of the best coaches who's ever been here in Kenya. He's been, of course, my coach since I started running. He saw me in high school when I was still doing 400, and 200 meters. He decided for me to join his club and we'd been training for one month. That is when he saw me and he thought I could do a good 800.
I can say when it comes to championships it's a tactical race and normally you don't have a pacesetter who can set a pace for fast times. That is why you see that obviously we fall around 1:43 because that is the most favorable one can run from the front.
It's not good to focus on one person or two persons about being your rivals. The important thing is just to train hard and be ready for the competition and to prepare for the races so that in case of anything that comes out, you are able to handle it.
When I am training, I don't want any disturbances. I have to be focused, not losing sight of my targets. I cannot evade the fact that I am now well known and I have made already some money, but you can learn how to deal with it.
I was ready in 2008 for the Olympic Games but unfortunately I missed the Kenyan trials with a thigh injury. I watched those Olympics but it was tough to watch. But it was good in the end because a Kenyan, Wilfred Bungei, was the champion.