Reuters
Beijing, August 25: Just like Usain Bolt had been written off before the 100 metres, Kenya’s Olympic champion David Rudisha had faced the same predicament. But the Kenyan put three difficult years behind him and trusted his finishing pace to regain the world 800 metres title at the Bird’s Nest here Tuesday.
Still not back at his best after the knee injury that cost him his chance to defend the world title in 2013, the 26-year-old kicked for home at the end of the back straight and held on to win gold in one minute 45.84 seconds.
The strain of the last 50 metres was clear on his face as he held off Pole Adam Kszczot and there were no huge smiles from the quietly-spoken world record holder after crossing the line, just a single finger raised to the sky in celebration.
“This is really special for me,” he told reporters. “Despite the fact that I was coming from a bad injury that almost pushed me out of my career … to be back here and to prove to the world that I can win the World Championships, it means a lot.”
