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David Rudisha has explained how he managed to be a successful track runner despite coming from a community that was not known to produce great track and field athletes.
Coming from the Maasai community, many would have doubted the abilities of world 800m record holder David Rudisha.
However, the two-time Olympic gold medalist defied all these odds to become one of the greatest 800m runners the world has ever witnessed.
He managed to set a world record time of 1:40.91, set at the 2012 London Games, that still stands to date. He also won two Olympic and world titles over the two-lap race.
Speaking to World Athletics, the now-retired athlete cadmitted that coming from a marginalized community did not stop him from achieving his dream.
He also reve.aled how his father Daniel Rudisha, a former Olympian himself, inspired him to want to make it big on his own.
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10:03 - 08.06.2024
David Rudisha reveals the sport he would be doing if not for track & field
Two-time world 800m champion David Rudisha has disclosed the sport he would be playing if not for the 800m on the track.
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“Growing up in Kenya is one of the special things because Kenya loves sports. However, the area where I come from is a marginalized community where we don’t have many athletes coming from there.
“But I was really inspired by my father who was an Olympic silver medallist during the 1968 Mexico Olympics in the 4x400m relay. As I was growing up, that really motivated me to believe I have the genes and I worked hard to become a champion like him,” Rudisha said.
He added that growing up, he never took athletics seriously and would always lose races, with his friends making fun of him since his father was a distinguished athlete.
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06:39 - 03.06.2024
David Rudisha names 3 key athletes to shape 800m race this Olympic season
World 800m record holder David Rudisha has revealed the three key athletes who will shape the two-lap race this Olympic season and might even threaten his world record.
The two-time African champion revealed that reality donned on him during a time where he lost a race, running in the anchor leg of a 4x400m relay team in school and he beat himself up about it.
He revealed that it was during that time that he decided to pull up his socks and venture into training, which saw him make a marked improvement.
“Where I was brought up, we were doing athletics stuff in school but we weren’t taking it seriously. When I was about 15, I started getting pressure from my friends and agemates and whenever we would go for a competition I could not win.
“They would compare me to my father and question why they could beat me. I also let my team down in the 4x400m while in school and I felt bad. That’s when I started training,” Rudisha added.
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