Rudisha impresses

800m Olympic champion easily defends title at Diamond League event in New York

Olympic gold medalist and world record holder David Rudisha shook of cold, wet and windy conditions and successfully defended his title at the 9th annual adidas Grand Prix here, the third stop of the 2013 IAAF Diamond League.

Rain, sometimes heavy, had fallen since morning here, and puddles dotted the new blue track at Icahn Stadium by the time Rudisha lined up for the 800m in the mid-afternoon.                                            Wearing a special orange and royal blue adidas uniform, the 24 year-old Kenyan stayed two steps behind pacemaker Matt Scherer who went through the 400m mark in 50.64 seconds, the restrained pace Rudisha had requested because of the gusting winds.

“It was cold,” Rudisha told reporters after the race.  ”There was strong wind going down the backstretch.  You know, wind and cold is hard to handle.”

Scherer peeled off 500 meters into the race, leaving Rudisha at the front alone.  Moving with long, fluid strides, he was never seriously challenged and won in 1:45.14, a time which was three and one-half seconds slower than his meet record of 1:41.74 set last year. 

NOT SATISFIED

Rudisha said he wasn’t fully satisfied with his performance –even given the conditions– but said he was mainly focused on the heart of the summer season ahead.

“The main thing I am looking forward to is the World Championships in August,” he said, echoing comments he made earlier in the week.  He also said he might try a 1000-meter race this summer.

Behind Rudisha, Britain’s Andrew Osagie finished second in 1:46.44, and Kenya’s Timothy Kitum managed to finish third despite tangling with American Erik Sowinski inside of the final 20 meters.  Sowinski, who set a USA indoor record at 600m earlier this year, thought he had a clear line to the finish, but ended up tumbling to the track and finishing last after Kitum made contact with him.

“He made contact with me; I don’t know what happened,” a deflated Sowinski said of Kitum.  ”I had the wheels and thought I was going to take second in that race.”

Chepkurui  feat

The 13 women who started the 3000m steeplechase got a brief break from the rain, but not the wind.  None of the contenders –including Kenya’s Lydia Chepkurui, Ethiopia’s Etenesh Diro and Sofia Assefa, or Oregon’s Bridget Franek– followed pacer Mardrea Hyman of Jamaica who went through the first kilometer in a modest 3:15.05. 

The pack stayed tightly-bunched until about three laps to go when the four contenders broke free.  After the bell, Chepkurui surged down the backstretch and could not be caught.  She won handily in 9:30.82, her second consecutive win of the 2013 Diamond League season.  She said she would now turn her attention to making the Kenyan team for the IAAF World Championships.

“It is not easy to make the Kenyan team,” she said.  ”But, I am trying to make the Moscow team.”

There was nothing to dispute in the men’s 5000m as Ethiopian junior sensation Hagos Gebrhiwet dominated the 12 and one-half-lap race, winning in a world-leading 13:10.03.      

                             – Agencies