The moment of truth, fifty meters to go, 800m final, photo by PhotoRun.net
For David Rudisha to win in Beijing, he had to go out of his comfort zone.
And the fact that his knee did not hurt when he did speed work for the first time in two years must have given him some confidence.
But, the way that Rudisha dominated, first the rounds, then, the final, must show 800 meter runners that this guy has some moves they did not he would ever use. Like slowing the pace down, so he could even finish faster over the last 200 meters. When Nijel Amos, he of the fast closing speed, found himself still short of real estate to move on to the semi-finals, Rudisha had figured out how to slowit down and leave room to sprint at the end.
This interview took place after the exciting 800 meter final. David Rudisha was relaxed and talkative. He wants to run a 4×4, and he finished the interview with, ” I can run a 44 second quarter.”
The King is back.