David Rudisha

For David Rudisha, running is very much a family affair. His father, Daniel, won a silver medal as part of Kenya’s 4x400m relay at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. Thus, it was not surprising when the younger Rudisha showed such promise over the one lap distance. In his first international competition at the East African Youth Championships, Rudisha earned himself the silver medal over 400m, but soon decided to try his paces over 800m.

And with good reason: among the many great middle distance runners to emerge from the famed Rift Valley in Kenya are Japheth Kimutai, the former world junior record holder over 800m, as well as three-time world champion and current world record holder, Wilson Kipketer.

It didn’t take long to show that Rudisha seemed to be the next in line to follow those great 800m graduates from St. Patrick’s. In his only competition outside of Kenya in 2006, Rudisha ran away with the gold medal at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Beijing. A few days after his gold medal run, Rudisha followed in his father’s footsteps, running the anchor leg on Kenya’s 4x400m relay. Though they finished one spot out of the medals, they did break the Kenyan junior record.

The following year, Rudisha’s first on the European circuit, was nearly flawless. He suffered just a single loss all season, after racking up impressive victories over both 400m and 800m in Kenya, and ended the year with significant wins at Golden League meetings in Zurich and Brussels. Given the impressive winning record Rudisha’s displayed during his short time as a professional, and his experience at winning gold in Beijing, it seems reasonable that he’ll be ready to repeat the feat on a much grander scale.