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Outstanding Rudisha sets new 800m world record

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-08-24 09:14

BERLIN - Kenya's David Lekuta Rudisha set a new world record of 1 minute, 41.09 seconds in the 800 meters on Sunday at Berlin's Olympic Stadium to produce the standout performance of the day.

David Lekuta Rudisha of Kenya celebrates after setting a new world record following the men's 800m competition at the ISTAF Berlin Grand Prix athletics, August 22, 2010. Rudushia clocked a time of one minute 41.09 seconds. [Agencies]

His time at the World Challenge meet shaved two hundredths of a second off the previous best mark set by Denmark's Kenyan-born Wilson Kipketer in August 1997, and he insisted he can go even faster.

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The 21-year-old African record holder and former world junior champion in the same distance in 2006 was led through the first 400m by pacesetter Sammy Tangui in 48.65sec.

Rudisha then managed to keep up his pace through to the line to break Kipketer's long-standing record, something he had recently threatened to do.

"This was my first real attempt to break the world record. I knew I was good, I had trained hard," said the softly-spoken Kenyan.

"Now that I have run that time, I can say I have the ability to improve and go faster. I am very happy, it feels great to have the world record."

Having only reached the 800m semifinals at the World Athletics Championships here in Berlin last August, Rudisha said he came to the German capital with something to prove and wanted to make up for last year's disappointment.

"Last year, I had a bad time in Berlin," he said.

"So I did not want to talk too much about the world record before the race.

"I knew it was my day, the weather was good.

"I told my pacemaker to run the first lap under 49 seconds. He did a great job, but in the last 200 meters I had to push really hard.

"But when I saw the clock at the end, it was amazing, a fantastic feeling.

"I am very happy to be the fastest 800 meters runner in the world.

"Running is like a profession to me, so this means everything."

Rudisha has been in great form all season while competing in Europe.

In Oslo's Diamond League meeting in June, he broke Sebastian Coe's 31-year-old meeting record with a run of 1:42:04.

At a meet in the Belgian city of Heusden-Zolder in July, Rudisha timed 1:41.51, an African record and the fastest time in the world since Kipketer set the previous best 13 years ago.

In the day's other events, local heroine and European bronze medalist Ariane Friedrich won the women's high jump with a leap of 1.97m, while German world champion Robert Harting won the discus with a throw of 68.24m.

World and Olympic champion Steven Hooker of Australia failed to register a height in the men's pole vault for the fourth time this season.

Ethiopia's Tariku Bekele won the men's 3000m in a world leading time of 7 minutes 28.99 seconds and admitted he had only planned to help Bernard Lagat of the United States try to break the American record.

There was diappointment for America's Lolo Jones in the 100m hurdles as the world indoor champion finished sixth behind winner Priscilla Lopes-Schliep of Canada, who ran 12.57sec.