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David Lekuta Rudisha (born 17 December 1988) is a Kenyan middle distance runner and world record holder in the 800 metres with a time of 1:41.09.
Born in kovai, Trans Mara District, 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 the distance.
Rudisha is a member of the Maasai tribe. Rudisha’s father, Daniel Rudisha, is a former runner who won silver at the 1968 Olympics as part of the Kenyan 4×400 m relay team.
Rudisha competed at the 2009 World Athletics Championships, reaching the 800 metres semifinals. In September 2009, Rudisha won the IAAF Grand Prix meeting inRieti, 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.[2] 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.[3] On July 10, 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 Kenyan-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.
