USA: ATHLETICS - David Rudisha, looks to defend his World and Olympic titles this season on his quest to break 1:40, while women's high jump phenom Blanka Vlasic returns from an Achilles injury that left her out of the London games

Record ID: 840922

  • Title: USA: ATHLETICS - David Rudisha, looks to defend his World and Olympic titles this season on his quest to break 1:40, while women's high jump phenom Blanka Vlasic returns from an Achilles injury that left her out of the London games
  • Date: 24th May 2013
  • Summary: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (MAY 24, 2013) (REUTERS) **CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY** WORLD AND OLYMPIC 800M CHAMPION DAVID RUDISHA POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) WORLD AND OLYMPIC 800M CHAMPION DAVID RUDISHA SAYING: "You know, going to Moscow my aim is to defend my title -- that is the most important thing. And, I know people expect me to do somethi
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  • Story Text: The world's fastest man in two laps, David Rudisha, returned to New York ready to defend his 800m title at the Adidas Grand Prix and let the field know what they have to do to beat him at the season-ending World Championships in Moscow.

    "My aim is to defend my title -- that is the most important thing," Rudisha told reporters on Friday (May 24). "I know people expect me to do something or run another fast time, but it also depends with the day and the sort of shape I'll be there and also the conditions of that day. But ah, I'm going there with one aim -- to defend my title because that is the most important thing."
    The soft-spoken Kenyan shined at the London Olympics last year setting a World Record of 1:40.91 and taking the gold medal. But it was in New York where he set the tone for the season, mesmorizing the crowd with a blistering 1:41.74 -- more than three seconds faster than the next runner and two seconds better than his World Championship time in Daegu, South Korea in 2011.
    As he progresses through the season, Rusdisha is now looking to better his time.

    "To run 1:41 it was not something easy and I can imagine that a time when I was coming up running, you know, 1:45, 1:44, and up to 1:43, at that time is seems like it was really very tough and difficult," said Rudisha. "In my career, I think I was aiming you know to do something under 1:41 and I think I'm happy to achieve that, though I predicted maybe I was thinking of doing something 1:40.5 -- that was the limit I would see that was possible according to me."

    "To do it in London without pacing and alone was something special and I'm very happy and I'm looking for, maybe, if time will allow, you know, maybe see if I can, try to do something better than that," he finished.
    Rudisha started the Diamond League season with a 1:43.87 in Doha earlier in May.
    While Rudisha is the headliner at the Adidas Grand Prix on Saturday, also in the spotlight will be women's high jumper Blanca Vlasic.

    "I'm nervous. I'm nervous. It wasn't until I came here actually. I wasn't nervous at all. I was just happy. I'm going to have fun, but no. . . It's just part of the magic; all of these feelings, you know, especially, after 20 months of non-competing, and it's not going to be easy," she said.
    The Croatian missed all of 2012 and missed the Olympics with an achilles injury.
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