The pictures above show David Rudisha during the 2009 World Athletics Championships in Berlin, where he suffered the disappointment of failing to qualify for the final after finishing in third place in his semi-final. However, Rudisha put that setback behind him in fantastic style the following year by setting a new World record time for the 800m of 1.41.09, beating Wilson Kipketer's previous mark set in Cologne in 1997 by two hundredths of a second. David's new record was set on 22 August in Berlin - the perfect way to erase the disappointment of the previous year in the German capital.
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Rudisha commented: "This was my first real attempt to break the world record. I knew I was good. I had trained hard. Now that I have run that time, I can say I have the ability to improve and go faster. Last year, I had a bad time in Berlin, so I did not want to talk too much about the world record before the race. But I knew it was my day. The weather was good and I told my pacemaker to run the first lap in under 49 seconds. He did a great job, but in the last 200 metres I had to push really hard. When I saw the clock at the end, it was amazing, a fantastic feeling. I am very happy to be the fastest 800 metres runner in the world."
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The new world record, remarkably, lasted just one week as David produced another sensational performance to shave a further 8 hundredths of a second off his Berlin time in a meeting in Rieti, Italy. A confident Rudisha commented after the race: "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."
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| Mens 800m. IAAF World Challenge - Berlin, 22.08.10 |
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| 1. David Lekuta RUDISHA |
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KEN |
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1: 41.09 WR |
| 2. Boaz Kiplagat LALANG |
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KEN |
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1: 44.34 |
| 3. Abraham KIPLAGAT |
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KEN |
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1: 44.49 |
| 4. Leonel MANZANO |
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USA |
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1: 44.56 |
| 5. Jackson Mumbwa KIVUVA |
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KEN |
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1: 44.91 |
| 6. Adam KSZCZOT |
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POL |
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1: 45.07 |
| 7. Belal Mansoor ALI |
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BRN |
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1: 45.28 |
| 8. David Mutinda MUTUA |
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KEN |
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1: 45.97 |
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| Mens 800m. IAAF World Challenge - Rieti, 29.08.10 |
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| 1. David Lekuta RUDISHA |
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KEN |
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1: 41.01 WR |
| 2. Boaz Kiplagat LALANG |
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KEN |
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1: 42.95 |
| 3. Nick SYMMONDS |
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USA |
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1: 43.76 |
| 4. Michael RIMMER |
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GBR |
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1: 43.89 |
| 5. Marcin LEWANDOWSKI |
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POL |
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1: 44.10 |
| 6. Arturo CASADO |
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ESP |
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1: 44.74 |
| 7. Jackson Mumbwa KIVUVA |
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KEN |
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2: 23.39 |
| Sammy TANGUI |
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KEN |
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DNF |
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