Kenya's Rudisha smashes own 800m world record
Source: Agencies |
August 11, 2012, Saturday
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KENYA'S David Rudisha capped four years of dominance in the 800 meters by storming to gold in a world record time with a dazzling run at the London Olympics on Thursday.
As the 80,000 crowd roared him on, the world champion scorched around the Olympic Stadium in one minute 40.91 to beat the mark of 1.41.01 he set two years ago in Italy.
"I had no doubt about winning but I was waiting for perfect conditions to break the record," the 23-year-old said. "When I woke up this morning, I saw the weather was great and I knew I could do something special. I am happy. I've waited for this moment for a long time. To come here and get a world record is unbelievable."
Nijel Amos of Botswana won silver to claim his country's first Olympic medal and bronze went to his fellow teenager Tim Kitum of Kenya.
All but one of the eight athletes in the field ran personal bests and the time run by Britain's Andrew Osagie, who was last to cross the line, would have been good enough for gold at the last three Games. The last runner in the field to set himself for the start, Rudisha hit the front halfway through the back straight and after that, with his smooth loping stride eating up the track, it was a straight run against the clock.
He pushed again after taking the bell in 49.28 seconds and came into the home straight 10 meters clear of teenager Amos, finding just enough in the tank to take him over the line a tenth of a second inside his own record.
Dubbed the "Pride of Africa" after winning the world junior title in 2006, Rudisha missed the Beijing Olympics through injury and was boxed in during the semifinals at the 2009 world championships.
Rudisha followed his father Daniel, who won a silver in the 4x400m relay in Mexico in 1968. His hopes of emulating his father by running the one-lap relay in London were dashed when Kenya was disqualified from the heats earlier on Thursday.
World record holder Ashton Eaton of the United States won the decathlon, comfortably ahead of compatriot Troy Hardee, and the Czech Barbora Spotakova claimed the women's javelin gold.
There was another American one-two in the triple jump, where world champion Christian Taylor took gold ahead of Will Claye.
Across Afghanistan, people put aside war worries to crowd around televisions and even into cafes normally closed for the fasting month of Ramadan to cheer on taekwondo fighter Rohullah Nikpai, the country's first and only Olympic medalist.
Germans Julius Brink and Jonas Reckermann became the first European team to claim men's beach volleyball gold by beating Brazilians Emanuel Rego and Alison Cerutti in three sets.
As the 80,000 crowd roared him on, the world champion scorched around the Olympic Stadium in one minute 40.91 to beat the mark of 1.41.01 he set two years ago in Italy.
"I had no doubt about winning but I was waiting for perfect conditions to break the record," the 23-year-old said. "When I woke up this morning, I saw the weather was great and I knew I could do something special. I am happy. I've waited for this moment for a long time. To come here and get a world record is unbelievable."
Nijel Amos of Botswana won silver to claim his country's first Olympic medal and bronze went to his fellow teenager Tim Kitum of Kenya.
All but one of the eight athletes in the field ran personal bests and the time run by Britain's Andrew Osagie, who was last to cross the line, would have been good enough for gold at the last three Games. The last runner in the field to set himself for the start, Rudisha hit the front halfway through the back straight and after that, with his smooth loping stride eating up the track, it was a straight run against the clock.
He pushed again after taking the bell in 49.28 seconds and came into the home straight 10 meters clear of teenager Amos, finding just enough in the tank to take him over the line a tenth of a second inside his own record.
Dubbed the "Pride of Africa" after winning the world junior title in 2006, Rudisha missed the Beijing Olympics through injury and was boxed in during the semifinals at the 2009 world championships.
Rudisha followed his father Daniel, who won a silver in the 4x400m relay in Mexico in 1968. His hopes of emulating his father by running the one-lap relay in London were dashed when Kenya was disqualified from the heats earlier on Thursday.
World record holder Ashton Eaton of the United States won the decathlon, comfortably ahead of compatriot Troy Hardee, and the Czech Barbora Spotakova claimed the women's javelin gold.
There was another American one-two in the triple jump, where world champion Christian Taylor took gold ahead of Will Claye.
Across Afghanistan, people put aside war worries to crowd around televisions and even into cafes normally closed for the fasting month of Ramadan to cheer on taekwondo fighter Rohullah Nikpai, the country's first and only Olympic medalist.
Germans Julius Brink and Jonas Reckermann became the first European team to claim men's beach volleyball gold by beating Brazilians Emanuel Rego and Alison Cerutti in three sets.
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