Emmanuel Wanyonyi of Kenya competes in the Men's 800m Round 1 at the Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France on August 07, 2024.
David Rudisha left an indelible mark in the history of Olympic track and field competition when he won the 2012 Olympic Games gold medal in 2012 in spectacular fashion, shattering the two-lap world record at the London Olympic Stadium.
His time of one minute, 40.91 seconds in East London still stands tall in record books, the record making him the first man to break 1:41 in the two-lap race.
But on Thursday, Rudisha revealed that he wasn’t targeting the world record at the London Olympic Stadium, but was forced to change tack after failing to shake off the chasing pack that included compatriot Timothy Kitum.
Rudisha crossed 400 metres in 49.28 seconds, opened up a gap as the chasing pack, that also featured Sudan’s Abubaker Kaki, Ethiopia’s Mohammed Aman and Botswana’s Nijel Amos, failed to give up the ghost.
“At that time, the world record wasn’t in my mind,” Rudisha recalled exactly 12 years since the August 9, 2012 race.
“I was chasing to break the 800m Olympic record (held then by Norway’s Vebjorn Rodal at 1:41.54). But when I pushed and saw the rest of the field chasing, I had to employ plan ‘B’ and that came with a world record,” he said as Emmanuel Wanyonyi lines up as Kenya’s lone ranger in this year’s Olympic final today’s 9.15pm (8.15pm Kenyan time) Paris Olympic Games’ 800m final.
Kenyan athlete David Rudisha.
Wanyonyi, 20, earned automatic qualification by topping Heat Three of Friday's semi-finals in 1:43.32. Kenya’s other entry, Commonwealth champion Wycliffe Kinyamal, was locked out after finishing third in Heat Two in 1:45.29.
World leader, Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati of Algeria (1:45.08), and Canada’s Marco Arop (1:45.05) were the other semi-final winners who automatically made it through to today’s final alongside second-placed Tshepiso Masela (Botswana), Gabriel Tual (France) and Bryce Hoppel (USA) with Briton Max Burgin and Spain’s Mohamed Attaoui also advancing to the final as the fastest two losers.
Rudisha advised Wanyonyi to be ready for any eventuality as the 800m is a most unpredictable race.
“I’m telling him to be ready for plan ‘B’ or even ‘C’ because it’s hard to tell someone what to do in the 800m as the situations change fast and you need to act fast to cope with the changing strategies, just as I changed from chasing an Olympic record to injecting some more pace that got me the world record as my opponents were still on my neck in the final lap at the London Olympics.” Wanyonyi said it was unfortunate that Kinyamal failed to make it to tonight’s final.
“My body feels good and I’m happy I qualified for the final,” Wanyonyi said. “After training for three years, there’s no taking chances in the semi-finals, because anything can happen in the last 100 metres so you need to push,” Wanyonyi said. “If Kinyamal controlled the pace like me, perhaps he could have run 1:42 and made it to the final, because anything can happen in the final.
“These other athletes push to get to the final in the last 100 metres, so you shouldn’t give anyone a chance in the last 100 metres.” Algerian Sedjati is certainly the man to watch tonight having run back-to-back 1:41s in Paris and Monaco on the Diamond League circuit last month. “He (Sedjati) is strong but we shall fight him to the end. I’m well prepared and my body feels good.”
Kinyamal said he struggled to get free and even had to move out to lane three to get his bearings but couldn’t break into the top two automatic qualification slots.
“I was blocked and couldn’t get out of the pack until the last 100 metres when I went out wide and tried to push,” Kinyamal said, noting that he has taken lessons from the experience in France.
“This is a major championship and I’ve learnt that a championship race is tight and with just the top two going through, the strategy should be precise.” He wished Wanyonyi well in today’s final: “ I just pray that he brings us a medal… I’m happy that I made the semis and for him to reach the final, it’s God’s blessings and I wish him well.
“I’d like to tell him that Sedjati attacks from the rear and Wanyonyi needs to be careful and perhaps break from 150 metres to the finish to get us that medal.” Kenyans have won the last four Olympic men’s 800m gold medals, with Wilfred Bungei (Beijing 2008), Rudisha (London 20
