Althletics News

Rudisha was only a semi-finallist at last year’s World Championships

David Rudisha has broken the 800m world record for the second time in eight days at a meeting in Rieti, Italy.

The 21-year-old Kenyan ran one minute 41.01 seconds to better the time he recorded in Berlin last Sunday by eight hundredths of a second.

The previous best of 1:41.11, set by Denmark’s Kenyan-born Wilson Kipketer’s had stood since 1997.

At the same meeting, Jamaican Nesta Carter equalled Tyson Gay’s fastest time of 2010 over 100m – 9.78sec.

Assisted by a tail wind of +0.9, Carter won ahead of second-placed American Ryan Bailey, who ran 9.88, with another Jamaican Mario Forsythe third in 9.95.

Rudisha was confident he could break the record and believes he can lower the world record.

He said: “I just knew I was in good shape. The conditions were perfect. I expected to break two records in seven days.

“I cannot say now what I need to improve. I will see in training with my coach what I can improve but I think I need to change only small details.”

Rudisha is the African champion over the distance but only reached the semi-finals of the 2009 World Championships.

However, he ran Kipketer’s mark close at a meet in the Belgian city of Heusden-Zolder in July with a time of 1:41.51 – the closest anyone had got to Kipketer’s record.

And Rudisha returned to the scene of his disappointing showing in the World Championships, the German capital’s Olympic Stadium, to beat Kipketer’s 1997 time.

And his prediction in the immediate aftermath of that feat that he would go even faster proved correct as he again set a fresh marker in central Italy on Sunday.

Rudisha was taken through the bell by compatriot pace-setter Sammy Tangui in 48.20sec before taking off on his own to win by almost two seconds from Boaz Kiplagat Lalang, also from Kenya.

American Nick Symmonds was third in 1:43.76, while Briton Michael Rimmer took fourth in a personal best 1:43.89.

Tyson Gay wrapped up the 100m Diamond League title with victory in the final meeting of the season in Brussels.

The American recovered from a slow start to power past Jamaican pair Nesta Carter and Yohan Blake, who were second and third, to win in 9.79 seconds.

Controversial world 800m champion Caster Semenya finished third on her Diamond League debut as Kenya’s Janeth Jepkosgei won the race and title.

Britain’s Dai Greene was second to Bershawn Jackson in the 400m hurdles.

Greene, who won the European Championships earlier this season, ran a measured race and was not fazed by Angelo Taylor blasting past him in the first half of the race and he steadily reeled the American in as he finished strongly in 48.26 seconds.

America’s Jackson, who had already won the Diamond League title, was never troubled as he won in 47.85.

But all eyes in Brussels were on 19-year-old South African Semenya who was cleared in July to once again compete after a complex investigation into her gender which sidelined her for 11 months.

She immediately dropped to the back of the pack at the start of the race, was 15m off the pace at the bell and although she moved through the field, she left herself too much to do on home straight as Jepkosgei raced clear.

Despite the result, Semenya told BBC Sport: “I’m pretty happy with the times I’m running, but it’s a bit sad to be coming back when the season is finished.

“I’m preparing for them [Commonwealth Games] and maybe [looking at] 1.57 or 1.56 in Delhi.”

British duo Jenny Meadows and Jemma Simpson were fifth and ninth and Meadows admitted to being disappointed with her placing despite running a sub two-minute 800m.

“I’m running sub two minutes every race but that was a scrappy race,” she said. “In 2011 I want to be up there. The top four in the world were ahead of me and next year I want to be in with them and in the top three.”

In the 100m, Gay had hinted that he could improve his personal best of 9.69 seconds, but a false start hampered his efforts. No athlete was disqualified as officials blamed it on a technical hitch, although television replays seemed to show the American twitch in his blocks.

When the race got underway, Carter blasted away and took a couple of metres out of Gay but the fastest man in the world this year kept his form to power away in the second half of the race.

“My mind got boggled because of the false start,” admitted Gay. “That was my fault.”

Elsewhere, Britain’s Tom Lancashire shrugged off an impromptu sprint through the streets of the Belgian capital to lower his personal best in the 1500m to 3.33.96 as he finished fifth.

“I’m really delighted,” beamed Lancashire. “I’ve wanted to dip under 3.34 for a long time so it’s nice to get the breakthrough.

“I had a nightmare today chasing someone who stole my phone through the streets of Brussels.”

Asbel Kiprop held off the challenge of America’s Leonel Manzano and fellow Kenyan Augustine Kiprono Choge to secure the Diamond League title.

In the triple jump, France’s Teddy Tamgho overcame a second-round no jump and won the competition with a final leap of 17.52m to edge out Cuba’s Alexis Coppelo by five centimetres.

Kenya’s Vivian Cheruiyot sprinted clear of the field to win the 5,000m and snatch the Diamond League title from Ethiopia’s Sentayehu Ejigu who could only finish third.

Britain’s Steph Twell finished down the field, but her time of 14.54.08 knocked a massive 22 seconds off her personal best.

“I’m ecstatic to come out here on the back of the season I’ve had,” she said. “Coming into the 5k was about maturing into the event and hopefully I’m getting closer to Paula [Radcliffe's British] record. I’m doubling up [with the 1500m] at the Commonwealth Games.”

The men’s 800m was won by new world record holder David Rushida. The Kenyan never looked in trouble as he won with ease from Abubaker Kaki Khamis of Sudan.

America’s Allyson Felix looked tired but wrapped up the 200m title, while Croatia’s Blanka Vlasic continued her dominance of the high jump and Canada’s Priscilla Lopes-Schliep secured the 100m hurdles crown.

In the night’s non-Diamond League race, home favourites Jonathan and Kevin Borlee were upstaged in the 400m, with Costa Rica’s Nery Brenes romping to victory in 44.92 seconds.