Rudisha crowned IAAF athlete of the year

Kenya’s David Rudisha was on Sunday named the World Athlete of the Year for 2010 after a brilliant season that saw him break the world 800m record twice in as many weeks.

The announcement was made at the Fairmont Hotel in Monte Carlo, Monaco, and the 21-year-old Rudisha was scheduled to formally receive the world’s most prestigious track and field award at an exclusive black-tie dinner hosted by Prince Albert II on Sunday night.

Croatian high jumper Blanca Vlasic was named the top woman for 2010, beating, among others, Kenyan steeplechaser Milcah Chemos.

The prestigious award comes with a cash reward of $100,000 (Sh8 million) for each athlete.

For all the triumphs on the track, it is the first time a Kenyan has ever won the award since its inception in 1988.

Speaking in the presence of the president of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Lamine Diack of Senegal, Rudisha was besides himself with joy.

“It’s a tremendous achievement, something you only dream about as an athlete,” he said.

He added: “But when I broke the world record twice in two weeks, I felt great and I saw the probability of being world athlete of the year.”

After failing to make the final of the 800 metres at the World Championships in Berlin last year, Rudisha shattered Kenya-born Dane Wilson Kipketer’s world record of one minute, 41.11 seconds — set in 1997 — by running 1:41.09 on August 2 on the same Berlin track that eluded him last year.

And a few days later on August 29 in Rieti, Italy, Rudisha lowered the record further to 1:41.01.

At 21, the man from Kilgoris, who is also the African champion and holder of the IAAF Continental Cup title, becomes the youngest ever recipient of the World Athlete of the Year award.

“It’s a wonderful feeling. Sebastian Coe held the 800m world record for 16 years and Wilson kept it for 13 years, and only four men have run under 1:42. It was really hard for me and I’m happy I achieved it.”