David Rudisha
Encyclopedia
David Lekuta Rudisha is a Kenya
n middle distance runner and world record holder in the 800 metres
with a time of 1:41.01. Rudisha holds four of the ten fastest times for this event.
, Rudisha went to St. Francis, Kimuron Secondary School in Iten
, Keiyo District
, which is known for nurturing several top runners. Initially he was a 400 metres
runner, but his coach, Colm O’Connell, prompted him to try 800 metres. In 2006 he became the world junior champion over that distance.
. In September 2009, Rudisha won the IAAF Grand Prix
meeting in Rieti
, Italy
, posting a new African record of 1:42.01, beating the 25-year old record of 1:42.28 set by compatriot Sammy Koskei
. That effort put him in fourth place on the all-time list. In the 2010 IAAF Diamond League
, he took on Abubaker Kaki at the Bislett Games
in June. He defeated Sebastian Coe's 31-year-old meet record with a run of 1:42.04, giving him another place in the top-ten fastest ever 800 m and leaving Kaki the consolation of the fastest ever non-winning time. On 10 July 2010, Rudisha ran the 800 m in 1:41.51 at the KBC Night of Athletics
in Heusden
, Belgium
; this new personal record placed him #2 all-time in the world for the 800 m.
Rudisha currently holds the world record for the 800 m. He broke the record at the ISTAF IAAF World Challenge
meet in Berlin
on 22 August 2010, with a time of 1:41.09. The previous record, held by Kenya
n-born Danish Citizen
runner Wilson Kipketer
, had stood since 1997; Rudisha broke the record by 0.02 seconds. Rudisha claimed that it had been his "first real attempt" at breaking the record, and that he was capable of improving the time. This was proven one week later when he set a new WR of 1:41.01 in Rieti, Italy.
In November 2010, at the age of 21, he became the youngest ever athlete to win the IAAF World Athlete of the Year
award. He also won the Kenyan Sportsman of the Year
award
, is a former runner who won silver at the 1968 Olympics
as part of the Kenyan 4 × 400 m
relay team, while his mother Naomi is a former 400 m hurdler
.
He is married to Lizzy Naanyu with a daughter (as of 2010).
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
n middle distance runner and world record holder in the 800 metres
800 metres
The 800 meter race is a common track running event. It is the shortest common middle distance track event. The 800 meter is run over two laps of the track and has always been an Olympic event. During indoor track season the event is usually run on a 200 meter track, therefore requiring four laps...
with a time of 1:41.01. Rudisha holds four of the ten fastest times for this event.
Early life
Born in Kovai, Trans Mara DistrictTrans Mara District
Trans Mara District is an administrative district in the Rift Valley Province of Kenya. Its capital town is Kilgoris. The district has a population of 170,591 and an area of 2,846 km²...
, Rudisha went to St. Francis, Kimuron Secondary School in Iten
Iten
Iten is a town in Rift Valley Province of Kenya. It is located along the road between Eldoret and Kabarnet. Elgeyo escarpment and Kerio River are located east of Iten. The town has a population of 4000 ....
, Keiyo District
Keiyo District
Keiyo District is an administrative district in the Rift Valley Province of Kenya. The district was formed in 1994, when Elgeyo/Marakwet-District was split into two, the other half is Marakwet District of today. Keiyo District has a population of 143.865...
, which is known for nurturing several top runners. Initially he was a 400 metres
400 metres
The 400 metres, or 400 metre dash, is a common sprinting event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 . On a standard outdoor running track, it is exactly one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and...
runner, but his coach, Colm O’Connell, prompted him to try 800 metres. In 2006 he became the world junior champion over that distance.
Career
Rudisha competed at the 2009 World Athletics Championships, reaching the 800 metres semifinals2009 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 800 metres
The men's 800 metres at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Olympic Stadium on 20, 21 and 23 August.-Medalists:-Records:Prior to the competition, the following records were as follows.-Qualification standards:-Schedule:...
. In September 2009, Rudisha won the IAAF Grand Prix
Rieti IAAF Grand Prix
The Rieti Meeting is an annual athletics event at the Stadio Raul Guidobaldi in Rieti, Italy that takes place in late August or early September. Previously one of the IAAF Grand Prix events, it is now part of the IAAF World Challenge....
meeting in Rieti
Rieti
Rieti is a city and comune in Lazio, central Italy, with a population of c. 47,700. It is the capital of province of Rieti.The town centre rests on a small hilltop, commanding a wide plain at the southern edge of an ancient lake. The area is now the fertile basin of the Velino River...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, posting a new African record of 1:42.01, beating the 25-year old record of 1:42.28 set by compatriot Sammy Koskei
Sammy Koskei
Sammy Koskei is a former Kenyan middle distance runner who specialized in the 800 metres.Koskei was one of the best Kenyan 800m competitors in 80's, setting fast times, but lacked success at the international major championships. His breakthrough year was 1982 when the youngster broke 1:45 second...
. That effort put him in fourth place on the all-time list. In the 2010 IAAF Diamond League
2010 IAAF Diamond League
The 2010 IAAF Diamond League was the first edition of the Diamond League, an annual series of fourteen one-day track and field meetings. The series began on 14 May in Doha, Qatar and ended on 27 August in Brussels, Belgium....
, he took on Abubaker Kaki at the Bislett Games
Bislett Games
The Bislett Games is an annual track and field event at the Bislett Stadion in Oslo, Norway. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it is now part of the IAAF Diamond League. It is sponsored by ExxonMobil and officially known as the ExxonMobil Bislett Games.-History:The first...
in June. He defeated Sebastian Coe's 31-year-old meet record with a run of 1:42.04, giving him another place in the top-ten fastest ever 800 m and leaving Kaki the consolation of the fastest ever non-winning time. On 10 July 2010, Rudisha ran the 800 m in 1:41.51 at the KBC Night of Athletics
KBC Night of Athletics
The KBC Night of Athletics is an annual athletics event at the Stadium De Veen in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium. It is official presented and sponsored by the KBC Bank.-Men:-Women:-External links:* *...
in Heusden
Heusden
Heusden is a municipality and a city in the South of the Netherlands. It is located between the cities Waalwijk and 's-Hertogenbosch.- Population centres :...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
; this new personal record placed him #2 all-time in the world for the 800 m.
Rudisha currently holds the world record for the 800 m. He broke the record at the ISTAF IAAF World Challenge
IAAF World Challenge
The IAAF World Challenge is an annual global circuit of fourteen one day athletics competitions organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations...
meet in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
on 22 August 2010, with a time of 1:41.09. The previous record, held by Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
n-born Danish Citizen
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
runner Wilson Kipketer
Wilson Kipketer
Wilson Kosgei Kipketer is a Kenyan born Danish former middle distance runner. He holds the current indoor world records at the 1000 and 800 metres distance. While dominating the 800 m distance for a decade, remaining undefeated for a three-year period and running 8 of the 17 currently all-time...
, had stood since 1997; Rudisha broke the record by 0.02 seconds. Rudisha claimed that it had been his "first real attempt" at breaking the record, and that he was capable of improving the time. This was proven one week later when he set a new WR of 1:41.01 in Rieti, Italy.
In November 2010, at the age of 21, he became the youngest ever athlete to win the IAAF World Athlete of the Year
IAAF World Athlete of the Year
The IAAF Athlete of the Year award is a prize that can be won by athletes participating in events within the sport of athletics organised by the International Athletic Foundation of the International Association of Athletics Federations , including track and field, cross country running, road...
award. He also won the Kenyan Sportsman of the Year
Kenyan Sports Personality of the Year
Kenyan Sport Personality of the Year Awards, also known as SOYA Awards, are annual national awards given for sports personalities and organisations in Kenya. The awards were initiated in 2004 by Paul Tergat. The awards for each year are held at the beginning of the next year Kenyan Sport...
award
Personal life
Rudisha is a member of the Maasai tribe. Rudisha's father, Daniel RudishaDaniel Rudisha
Daniel Rudisha is a retired Kenyan athlete who competed mainly in the 400 metres.He competed for Kenya in the 1968 Summer Olympics held in Mexico City in the 4 x 400 metre relay where he won the silver medal with his team mates Munyoro Nyamau, Naftali Bon and Charles Asati.Rudisha lives in Kilgoris...
, is a former runner who won silver at the 1968 Olympics
Athletics at the 1968 Summer Olympics
At the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, 36 athletics events were contested, 24 for men and 12 for women. There were a total number of 1031 participating athletes from 93 countries....
as part of the Kenyan 4 × 400 m
4 x 400 metres relay
The 4 x 400 meters relay or long relay is an athletics track event in which teams comprise four runners who each complete 400 meters or one lap. It is traditionally the final event of a track meet. At top class events, the first 500 meters is run in lanes...
relay team, while his mother Naomi is a former 400 m hurdler
400 metres hurdles
The 400 metres hurdles is an Olympic athletics event in track and field. On a standard outdoor track 400 metres is the length of the inside lane once around the stadium. Runners stay in their lane the entire way after starting out of the blocks and must clear ten hurdles that are evenly...
.
He is married to Lizzy Naanyu with a daughter (as of 2010).
Achievements
| Representing | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | World Junior Championships 2006 World Junior Championships in Athletics The 2006 World Junior Championships in Athletics is the 2006 version of the World Junior Championships in Athletics. It was held from 15 August to 20 August at the Chaoyang Sports Center in Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China.... |
Beijing Beijing Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's... , China People's Republic of China China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres... |
1st | 800 m (1:47.40) |
| 2007 | African Junior Championships | Ouagadougou Ouagadougou Ouagadougou is the capital of Burkina Faso and the administrative, communications, cultural and economic center of the nation. It is also the country's largest city, with a population of 1,475,223 . The city's name is often shortened to Ouaga. The inhabitants are called ouagalais... , Burkina Faso Burkina Faso Burkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated... |
1st | 800 m (1:46.41) |
| 2008 | African Championships 2008 African Championships in Athletics The 16th African Championships in Athletics was held in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia, from April 30 to May 4, 2008. The competition venue was the Addis Ababa Stadium. It is the largest Athletics event held in Ethiopia to date... |
Addis Ababa Addis Ababa Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia... , Ethiopia Ethiopia Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2... |
1st | 800 m (1:44.20) |
| 2009 | World Athletics Final 2009 IAAF World Athletics Final The 7th IAAF World Athletics Final was held at the Kaftanzoglio Stadium in Thessaloniki, Greece on September 12 and September 13, 2009. The competition represented the culmination of the 2009 IAAF World Athletics Tour, a selection of athletics meetings which began on September 20, 2008 at the... |
Thessaloniki Thessaloniki Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace... , Greece Greece Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe.... |
1st | 800 m (1:44.85) |
| 2010 | African Championships 2010 African Championships in Athletics The 2010 African Championships in Athletics was held in Nairobi, Kenya from 28 July to 1 August 2010.-Background:The African Championships in Athletics were held in Kenya for the first time... |
Nairobi Nairobi Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is... , Kenya Kenya Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east... |
1st | 800 m (1:42.84) |
| 2011 | World Championships 2011 World Championships in Athletics The 13th IAAF World Championships in Athletics was an international athletics competition that was held in Daegu, South Korea. It started on 27 August 2011 and finished on 4 September 2011.... |
Daegu Daegu Daegu , also known as Taegu, and officially the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea, the fourth largest after Seoul, Busan, and Incheon, and the third largest metropolitan area in the country with over 2.5 million residents. The city is the capital and principal city of the... , South Korea South Korea The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south... |
1st | 800 m (1:43.91) |
Personal bests
| Event | Time | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 400 m | 45.50 | 27 February 2010 | Sydney Sydney Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people... |
| 800 m | 1:41.01 WR | 29 August 2010 | Rieti Rieti Rieti is a city and comune in Lazio, central Italy, with a population of c. 47,700. It is the capital of province of Rieti.The town centre rests on a small hilltop, commanding a wide plain at the southern edge of an ancient lake. The area is now the fertile basin of the Velino River... |