World Athletics name ex-star Rudisha Glasgow championships ambassador
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From left: Dr Philip Osano, Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) Centre Director of Africa, David Lekuta Rudisha (centre) former 800m Olympic champion and Susan Mbae (right) of Global Climate Action answer questions from Nation Media Group journalist Hellen Shikanda at COP28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on December 8, 2023, where they spoke on the power of sport for Climate Action.
What you need to know:
- Despite giving indoor running a wide berth to stave off potential injury, Rudisha acknowledged the importance of a global indoor championship coming in an Olympic year, saying it would help the athletes in building up systematically to the Olympics
- He also urged Kenyan athletes to lift themselves up and attack the March 1 to 3 Glasgow championships with pride to show appreciation and respect to fallen world marathon record holder Kelvin Kiptum
- Athletics Kenya this week named the country’s lean squad to the global indoor championships with Africa 100 metres record holder Ferdinand Omanyala featuring in the 60 metres dash and Noah Kibet, silver medalist at the last edition in Belgrade, Serbia, teaming up with Collins Kipruto in the 800 metres
World 800 metres record holder David Rudisha has been named special ambassador to the World Athletics Indoor Championships to be held in Glasgow, Scotland, next month.
Though having given indoor running a wide berth to stave off potential injury, Rudisha acknowledged the importance of a global indoor championship coming in an Olympic year, saying it would help the athletes in building up systematically to the Olympics, undoubtedly the greatest sporting show on earth, whose 2024 edition will be held in Paris from July 26 to August 11.
He also urged Kenyan athletes to lift themselves up and attack the March 1 to 3 Glasgow championships with pride to show appreciation and respect to fallen world marathon record holder Kelvin Kiptum, who was killed alongside his Rwandan coach Gervais Hakizimana in a road accident on the Ravine-Eldoret road last Sunday.
Athletics Kenya this week named the country’s lean squad to the global indoor championships with Africa 100 metres record holder Ferdinand Omanyala featuring in the 60 metres dash and Noah Kibet, silver medalist at the last edition in Belgrade, Serbia, teaming up with Collins Kipruto in the 800 metres.
Vivian Chebet and Naomi Korir are entered in the women’s 800 metres with Reynold Kipkorir and Vincent Kibet to run in the 1,500m as Teresiah Muthoni Gateri and Beatrice Chepkoech battle in the 3,000m.
The rest of the squad will be made up of the men’s 4x400m relay quartet of Boniface Mweresa, Zablon Ekwam, Kelvin Tauta and Wiseman Were.
“I am looking forward to going back to Glasgow for this major competition in our calendar. I am really excited. Sport is what has made me who I am today and anything to do with sport, it makes me feel very happy. I am looking forward to meeting the fans and promoting the sport,” said Rudisha, who set the world 800m record at one minute 40.91 seconds in a show-stopper performance at the 2012 London Olympics.
He said coming in an Olympic year, the Glasgow championships hold greater importance to athletes.
“The Olympics is at the helm of any sport. To participate at the Olympics means a lot. It's not always easy, so I wish athletes the best as they work hard for this season and try to make their name and write their history in this sport.”
The 200-metre indoor track was hardly Rudisha’s favourite in his running days, the legend saying running four laps in the 800 metres indoors instead on the two laps outdoors “was a bit confusing.”
“It (four laps for 800m indoors) is not part of my system… I’m used to running two laps (outdoors) when you tell me about four laps (for the 800m indoors) it confuses me…” Rudisha said on Thursday in a conference call with World Athletics and selected global journalists, including Nation Sport.
“I remember one time I did a one-kilometre (1,000 metres) race in Ostrava and it was tough because I felt at a certain point that I didn’t know where I was or what distance I had covered.”
He urged Kenyan athletes to go for more indoor meetings to get familiar with the conditions.
“Kenyans need to compete more indoors to be more familiar… The challenge we have in Kenya is the facilities.
“European athletes and others are used to training indoors. But for some of our athletes, the first time they get introduced to indoor running is during the competition itself and this is a challenge.”
He implored Kenyan athletes to lift themselves up following the shattering news of Kiptum’s sudden demise.
“The country is going through a very sad moment. We lost Kelvin Kiptum who was an upcoming athlete. It was tragic, and we are still in shock,” he reflected.
“I encourage our athletes to keep training hard, because this year is also very important for our sport and they should make sure they work very hard… I pray for the family of Kelvin, his friends and fans. You never know what life brings, so we just have to accept and move forward.”
World Athletics ambassadors are athletes who have performed exceptionally well before, including featuring at the World Championships, Olympic Games or having broken a world record before, and Rudisha’s stellar performances throw him easily down that alley.
The March 1-3 World Indoor Championships will feature over 700 athletes from about 130 nations competing for medals across 26 disciplines.