• Botswanan’s capable form makes him favourite for world championships
• Rudisha set 800m world record in the same stadium at London GamesThe 800m was once such a simple puzzle for David Rudisha to solve. It involved gliding into the lead from the blocks,shaking off opponents as smoothly as dust from silk and the crowds basking in his athletic genius. Which made it all the more painful to watch the considerable Kenyan scratching his head after defeat at the Anniversary Games. He even tried changing his famous front-running tactics but once again he found the Botswanan Nijel Amos a petite too vibrant and punchy.
Rudisha had hoped that a return to the stadium where he shattered his own world record at the London 2012 Olympics might kindle a return to his very best form. Back then he surged brilliantly away from the 18-year-old Amos to claim gold in 1min 40.91sec. But a serious knee injury in 2013 has so far robbed Rudisha of his ability to breeze away from the pack. So he tried a different approach, sitting back in third at the bell and saving his energy for a sprint finish down the domestic straight. Once again, or though,he found his opponent’s finishing kick too powerful.
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Source: theguardian.com