David Rudisha on his 800m world record, legacy and life after retirement
The double Olympic and world champion shares his thoughts in an exclusive interview with Olympics.com, reflecting on his long-standing world record, why he thinks he could have gone faster than his thrilling London 2012 time and the next 800m star.
Athletics
As a young boy, David Rudisha knew most of his life would revolve around the cattle he used to herd. He was keen on following the Maasai tribesmen tradition and leading his life as a warrior in the pasture land.
Until he started harbouring Olympic-winning ambition.
His father Daniel was a celebrated retired athlete, but this information only truly hit home when Rudisha saw the silver medal that his elder won at the Mexico 1968 Olympic Games.
After this, he felt great motivation to follow in his footsteps. It was a dream Rudisha achieved and surpassed, winning two consecutive 800m Olympic gold medals and breaking the world record.
Almost 11 years since breaking the world record at London 2012, the Kenyan runner believes he could have run even faster than 1:40.91 were it not for injuries which forced him into premature retirement.
“In 2012, I believe that there was still room for breaking the world record. And it's only that I (suffered) injury in early 2013. But in my mind, I still believed there was room for improvement,” he told Olympics.com in Lausanne while attending a campaign ahead of Olympic Day 2023.
Even with the advancements in shoe technologies and the electronic pace-system, Rudisha remains the only man to have finished the 800m under one minute 41 seconds.
Does he think that record could be broken soon?
“It's a tough one because now it's about 13 years since I broke the first (world) record in 2010," he said. "This year I'm celebrating my 13 years of holding the world record. And the London (world record) is now 11 years this year.”
David Rudisha on his 800m world record: "I could have run faster in London"
Rudisha's majestic running style defined his near perfect runs. His straight and regal gait, long and smooth strides captivated the world for over a decade and were deemed perfect running form.
Curiously, the former decathlete almost followed his father’s sprinting path. For a time he was a 200m and 400m runner before stepping up to 800m at the encouragement of his long-term Irish coach Brother Colm O’Connell.
But he never imagined he would match his father’s track excellence. Daniel Rudisha had anchored Kenya's 4x400m relay team to silver in Mexico.
“Growing up, I saw an Olympic medal when I was very, very young," the younger Rudisha said. "That was my father's from the 1968 Olympics, 4x400 metres relay, and it really motivated me. I said, ‘Well, one time, will I ever hold mine like this?’ Growing up, that really motivated me.”
Rudisha’s decade-long winning streak that began with the 2006 world junior 800m gold was one for the record books.
His last perfect race was at the biggest stage of all, London 2012, where he became the first reigning 800m world champion to win Olympic gold. He was pleasantly surprised then that he ran “1:40 something” as he had targeted to run 1:41.00.
Now, after many years of re-watching that race, he feels he had the potential to go even quicker.
“At the London Olympics, I was a little bit slow because I (thought) I was going very fast," the 34-year-old athlete told Olympics.com in his usual soft-spoken tone.
"But when I (looked) behind and I saw I am going fast, but these guys are just behind me, I slowed a bit to have the strength for the last 100 metres because at that point, the most important thing was also winning.
“I think (when I slowed down), I could have done some improvement of about even 0.4 or 0.3 seconds, somewhere there I say 1:40.30.”
The year after his epic achievement, Rudisha suffered a right knee injury that almost ended his career. He didn’t run for more than a year.
“I thought my career was over in 2013. It was very painful. I couldn’t even do 15 minutes of jogging. That’s the time I felt I was done with sport,” he told Olympic Channel in an interview in 2019.
David Rudisha on his greatest achievement and retirement regrets
Overcoming the injury, Rudisha defied the odds and returned to capture the 2015 world title and defend his Olympic title at Rio 2016.
That made him the first man to defend an Olympic men’s 800m gold medal since New Zealand’s Peter Snell in 1964.
“As an athlete, there is nothing like winning the Olympics. That is every athlete’s dream, and to win and to defend it again was a real achievement," Rudisha said.
"I'm glad that I was able to manage that, and I was able to do it without any challenges, with injuries and everything, because sometimes winning is not just about training and everything. Sometimes you also depend on the luck of that day.”
The last time the world had a chance to watch the Kenyan world record holder in competition was six years ago.
“My last race was in Budapest, in 2017," he said. "It was an amazing race because I was preparing for the world championships. But unfortunately, a few weeks later, I had a muscle pull, which stopped me from taking part, even in the trials. I didn't expect that to be my last race, but it happened."
In addition to the muscle strain, Rudisha suffered back pain, had surgery on his fractured ankle, survived a serious car crash, and had to deal with personal issues including the breakdown of his marriage and the death of his father in 2019.
And so, with painful regret, the greatest 800m runner in history had to give up on his dream of winning three consecutive Olympic titles.
Reflecting back on that moment, Rudisha choses to focus on the positives of his career.
“I'm proud of myself, as I have always believed in what I do. It was not easy. You can’t just walk out there and make things happen, you really have to dig in, in anything you want to achieve,” said Rudisha, who survived a plane crash in Kenya in 2022.
“I was able to handle all the pressure and everything. I'm just proud of myself because running was part of my life, as a young boy from Maasai. And I'm glad that I was able to walk through that journey and finish well.”
David Rudisha: Keeping a close eye on the future of 800m
The 2011 World Athlete of the Year pushed the boundaries and his world record has never quite been threatened. But Rudisha himself hopes that's not the case for much longer.
“I want to see that (world) record being broken one day. And it would make me happy to see somebody also beat me in one way or the other," he said.
“But the 800m is tough because it is one of the races that is not a middle, not a long distance and it’s not a real sprint, but it's somewhere there. And to get things in a balance, and to get your race perfectly, you have to be strong, especially mentally. You might be in your best form, but if you make a slight mistake during the race, you might not even be able to come out of that.”
Picking out a successor for his world record is a tough call, but Rudisha is confident his compatriots can extend Kenya's reign in the distance.
“Emmanuel Korir is still a very good athlete,” he said of the reigning Olympic and world champion who made certain a Kenyan retained the men’s 800m Olympic title for the fourth time in a row to follow on the success of Rudisha and Wilfred Bungei.
Rudisha is also particularly impressed with 18-year-old Emmanuel Wanyonyi, the world U20 champion who reached the final at the world championships in Eugene, Oregon last year and has won two Diamond League races this season.
“Emmanuel Wanyonyi is still young and when you see him running, I believe he still has a lot of opportunity for improvement," Rudisha said. "The way he is taking his competition I am real confident that he has some courage and has the chance of some good progression."
Rudisha will probably have an influence on shaping Kenya’s next great stars as he continues to work with Athletics Kenya in various administrative roles and likely looks to get into coaching.
“It’s not always easy to adjust when you used to be an athlete," the double Olympic champion said of his life after retirement. "I started running when I was very young, but we are now adjusting to go to the second level of doing other things. But mostly my heart is still in sport, and that is where I've always been.”