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Record Not On David Rudisha’s Mind
By Xinhua correspondent, John Kwoba
Coastweek.com
12 April 2013
NAIROBI (Xinhua) -- Kenya’s David Rudisha, the Olympic and World 800m champion will not be attempting to run under the 1: 41 minute mark when he competes at the World Championships in Moscow in August.
Rudisha has always started his season down under in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia, but he has changed his preparations for the year and will be heading to Qatar for the Doha Diamond League on May 10 for his season debut.
“It’s always nice to return in Doha. I have great memories from the Qatar Sports Club track, where I have won three times so far.
“The spectators are always enthusiastic and push the athletes to their limits,” Rudisha said on Tuesday. Whereas it is every athletes dream to compete at the Olympics and the World Championships, at 24, Rudisha has been to two World Championships and one Olympic games.
Of the four only once, in Berlin in 2009, did he fail to deliver dropping out at the semi finals stage.
“I want to be third time lucky in Moscow.
“But the world record is not on my mind at the moment. If it comes, so be it, but I just want to run well,” he said.
Rudisha has always started his season in Australia, owing to the links he has with his agent, James Templeton an Australian.
He boasts of the two biggest victories in track, the Olympics and World titles alongside holding the world record of 1:40.91.
Rudisha first competed at Doha Diamond League in 2007 as a junior, and finished sixth in 1:45.55. In 2008, he registered his maiden victory with 1:44.36.
The following year he was fourth, in 1:44.78, but bounced straight back with two impressive wins in 2010 and 2012, clocking 1:43.00 (the current meeting record) and 1:43.10, respectively.
“David Rudisha’s addition to the 2013 roster justifies our ambition to perpetually improve the Doha athletics meeting level and to showcase the on-site spectators and to the millions fans who will watch through their TV screens, a meeting to remember,” said Qatar Athletics Chairman Dahlan Jumaan Al Hamad in a statement.
“Many more Olympic and World Champions will soon sign up and boost the image of Doha 2013, the first Samsung Diamond League of a long awaited season.”
David Rudisha defied the odds and not only easily won the Olympic 800m final in London, but he also lowered his own world record by 0.10 seconds to 1:40.91.
For his London heroics, the 2010 World Athlete of the Year was honoured by the IAAF with the Male 2012 Performance of the Year at the IAAF Centenary celebrations in Barcelona last November.
“I do not run many races over the season and so it is important that every race is a quality race.
“I have beaten Kipketer’s former world record (1:41.11) three times now and one day I hope to break the 1:40 barrier.
“It’s not impossible but it is a very difficult task to accomplish,” added Rudisha, who has run two laps of the track in under 1:42 on seven occasions, a unique feat in the history of the event.
“I have to stay focused and keep on training hard, because the level of the 800m competition is continuously rising,” he said.
Record Not On David Rudisha’s Mind
By Xinhua correspondent, John Kwoba
Coastweek.com
12 April 2013
NAIROBI (Xinhua) -- Kenya’s David Rudisha, the Olympic and World 800m champion will not be attempting to run under the 1: 41 minute mark when he competes at the World Championships in Moscow in August.
Rudisha has always started his season down under in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia, but he has changed his preparations for the year and will be heading to Qatar for the Doha Diamond League on May 10 for his season debut.
“It’s always nice to return in Doha. I have great memories from the Qatar Sports Club track, where I have won three times so far.
“The spectators are always enthusiastic and push the athletes to their limits,” Rudisha said on Tuesday. Whereas it is every athletes dream to compete at the Olympics and the World Championships, at 24, Rudisha has been to two World Championships and one Olympic games.
Of the four only once, in Berlin in 2009, did he fail to deliver dropping out at the semi finals stage.
“I want to be third time lucky in Moscow.
“But the world record is not on my mind at the moment. If it comes, so be it, but I just want to run well,” he said.
Rudisha has always started his season in Australia, owing to the links he has with his agent, James Templeton an Australian.
He boasts of the two biggest victories in track, the Olympics and World titles alongside holding the world record of 1:40.91.
Rudisha first competed at Doha Diamond League in 2007 as a junior, and finished sixth in 1:45.55. In 2008, he registered his maiden victory with 1:44.36.
The following year he was fourth, in 1:44.78, but bounced straight back with two impressive wins in 2010 and 2012, clocking 1:43.00 (the current meeting record) and 1:43.10, respectively.
“David Rudisha’s addition to the 2013 roster justifies our ambition to perpetually improve the Doha athletics meeting level and to showcase the on-site spectators and to the millions fans who will watch through their TV screens, a meeting to remember,” said Qatar Athletics Chairman Dahlan Jumaan Al Hamad in a statement.
“Many more Olympic and World Champions will soon sign up and boost the image of Doha 2013, the first Samsung Diamond League of a long awaited season.”
David Rudisha defied the odds and not only easily won the Olympic 800m final in London, but he also lowered his own world record by 0.10 seconds to 1:40.91.
For his London heroics, the 2010 World Athlete of the Year was honoured by the IAAF with the Male 2012 Performance of the Year at the IAAF Centenary celebrations in Barcelona last November.
“I do not run many races over the season and so it is important that every race is a quality race.
“I have beaten Kipketer’s former world record (1:41.11) three times now and one day I hope to break the 1:40 barrier.
“It’s not impossible but it is a very difficult task to accomplish,” added Rudisha, who has run two laps of the track in under 1:42 on seven occasions, a unique feat in the history of the event.
“I have to stay focused and keep on training hard, because the level of the 800m competition is continuously rising,” he said.
