Rudisha returns! 800m ace posts world lead time
David Rudisha of Kenya wins the Mens 800m Final during the Adidas Grand Prix at Icahn Stadium on Randalls Island on June 13, 2015 in New York City. AFP
What you need to know:
- Rudisha covered the first lap in 50.1 seconds before gliding to victory, outclassing home athlete Boris Berian, who settled for second in 1:43.84 followed by Frenchman Pierre-Ambroise Bosse in 1:43.88.
- In the absence of World and Commonwealth champion Eunice Sum, the 2007 World champion Janeth Jepkosgei failed to sparkle in women’s 800m.
- Sum won in Shanghai in 2:00.28 before setting a world lead with victory in 1:57.82 at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene. It’s in Eugene where Wilson pushed Sum to the limit, almost beating her at the line.
He is back! Troubled by injury and self doubt over the past season Olympics champion and world 800m record holder David Rudisha announced his return with an emphatic victory at the New York Diamond League on Saturday night.
Rudisha, with his trademark front-running style, pounded the blue track in a world lead time of 1 minute and 43.58 for his fourth victory at the arena.
Rudisha covered the first lap in 50.1 seconds before gliding to victory, outclassing home athlete Boris Berian, who settled for second in 1:43.84 followed by Frenchman Pierre-Ambroise Bosse in 1:43.88.
Rudisha limped out of the IAAF World Challenge 600m race in Ostrava on May 26 with an injured knee. He subsequently withdrew from the Birmingham Diamond League on June 7.
It was Rudisha’s third 800m race of season after winning at the Sydney Track Classic in 1:45.01 on March 14 and Melbourne Classic in 1:44.94 on March 21 in Australia. He holds the World 800m record time of 1:40.91 set at the 2012 London Olympic Games.
“Fourth time fourth win here in New York…was a great race to start the main season,” Rudisha said. “You have to keep trying. You have to keep practising. Anything is possible. Everything is possible.”
ABSENCE OF SUM
In the absence of World and Commonwealth champion Eunice Sum, the 2007 World champion Janeth Jepkosgei failed to sparkle in women’s 800m.
But the 31-year-old Jepkosgei, gave it all at the home stretch but could only settle for second in 1:59.37 as World Junior champion Ajee Wilson won in 1:58.83. Home athlete Chanelle Price was third in a personal best time of 1:59.47.
Sum won in Shanghai in 2:00.28 before setting a world lead with victory in 1:57.82 at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene. It’s in Eugene where Wilson pushed Sum to the limit, almost beating her at the line.
Efforts by Kenya’s Olympic 5,000m bronze medallist Thomas Longosiwa for a double in New York after winning in Birmingham fell short when American Ben True gifted the hosts their first win in a Diamond League race at this distance since the 14-meet circuit began in 2010.
Perhaps Longosiwa’s tactics of breaking off early in the last lap proved suicidal as Nick Willis from New Zealand zoomed past him followed by True with less than 70m to go.
The American won in 13:29.48 followed by Willis in 13:29.78 as Eritrean Amsolom Nguse settled third in 13:30.22. Longosiwa deeped to fourth in 13:30.28.
The 2014 Series winner Ethiopia’s Ayalew Hiwot cashed on the absence of Kenyans to win women’s 3,000m steeple chase with a slow time of 9:25.26.
Kenya’s Virginia Nyambura, won in Doha and Birmingham, and Rome winner Hyvin Kiyeng and World silver medallist Lydia Chepkurui didn’t take part in the race.
Nyambura’s dream for a hat trick at the New York Diamond League was dealt a blow when she was turned back in Amsterdam after her travelling documents had some anomaly.
