byLarry EderHow does one decribe perfection? Well, that is David Rudisha. Last year, at the AVIVA London Grand Prix, David Rudisha gently spoke, for over an hour, with the assembled media on his admiration for Seb Coe, Steve Ovett, Marcello Fiasconaro, and of course, Wilson Kipketer. Rudisha is a student of his event.
Last summer, in Daegu, Korea, David Rudisha lead from the start, to win the 800 meters the old fashioned way: he earned it, every step of the way.
That Rudisha is running in New York City at the adidas Grand prix means, dear readers, that you should hock that Joe Walsh t-shirt you have been saving and get yourself a ticket to one of the best meets in the world! Rudisha is coming!
David Rudisha to make U.S. debut at adidas Grand Prix
Will be first 800m World Record-holder to run on American soil since 1984
NEW YORK (April 18, 2012)–World Record-holder David Rudisha, the IAAF Male Athlete of the Year in both 2010 and 2011, will make history at the adidas Grand Prix on June 9 when he competes in the United States for the first time, organizers announced Wednesday.
No 800-meter World Record-holder has run in this country since
Sebastian Coe won two medals at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984. Coe
held the record from 1979 to 1997.
“We are ecstatic to have an athlete with the star power of David
Rudisha coming to New York,” said meet director Mark Wetmore. “Since we
began in 2005 we’ve had almost all of the world’s best athletes here,
and now our fans will get yet another chance of a lifetime.”
In its eighth year as one of the premier track-and-field events in the world, the adidas Grand Prix,
at Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island, will feature dozens of Olympic
medalists and World Champions, including the two reigning World
Champions at 100 meters, Jamaica’s Yohan Blake and American Carmelita Jeter; 2008 Olympic gold medalist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce; and three-time Olympic gold medalist Jeremy Wariner.
It will again be the sixth stop on the international Samsung Diamond
League circuit, and is part of the Visa Championship Series. Tickets are
available by calling 1-877-849-8722.
The 23-year-old Rudisha, also the reigning World Champion, has been
almost unbeatable the last three years, with his only loss since 2009
coming late last season in Milan. In 2010, he broke Wilson Kipketer’s
13-year-old World Record when he ran 1:41.09 on Aug. 22 in Berlin. Just a
week later, on Aug. 29, he lowered that mark to 1:41.01. In 2011, the
young Kenyan recorded the three fastest times for the year, including a
world-leading 1:41.33, and he owns four of the six fastest times in
history.
“I’ve run in many great cities and countries, and to finally come to
New York is exciting for me,” said Rudisha. “I’ve been sponsored by
adidas all my career and am very happy to run at the adidas meet in New
York.”
The adidas Grand Prix
will begin at 1 p.m. at Icahn Stadium on June 9. All of the latest news,
photos and additional information on the event can be found at adidasgrandprix.com, and on the event’s pages on Facebook at facebook.com/
