Tuesday, 10 November 2026
Kenyan Digest

Rudisha to make Olympics decision by May

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Kenya’s 800 metres world record holder and olympic champion David Rudisha

NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 29 – David Rudisha, the 800m world record holder says he will make a decision by the end of May on whether or not he will vie for a place in Kenya’s team for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Rudisha has been out of competitive action for close to three years, but has since returned to training and has been working to get himself in top shape to see whether he will be able to contest for a place to hunt for a third Olympic gold medal.

Speaking to Capital Sport, Rudisha says he has been struggling to shed some weight after a long period of inactivity and that remains his top priority as at now.

“It has not been easy because when I was out, I was advised to stop training completely and I added a lot of weight. You cannot train well until you get to your normal cruising weight. I want to go step by step,” Rudisha says.

He adds; “I don’t want to go back with the attitude that I am David Rudisha and I can do it just like I did it before. No. With that mentality, I could easily pick up another problem. I have to go slow like a beginner.

Kenya’s David Rudisha, pictured in 2016, suffered a quad muscle strain

Rudisha has disclosed that he had accumulated weight to a high of 89 and has now worked hard to go to within 7kgs of when he broke the world record at the Olympics in London in 2012. He says at that time, he weighed around 75kg.

He has admitted that the work has not been easy, but remains optimistic he can squeeze in within the next month so he could start off the high intensity training to build up towards the Kenyan trials scheduled for June in Eldoret.

“You know the body remembers the routine, but I need to go a step at a time. I haven’t made a full decision on everything yet but I am working to do my best. It is my dream to go for a third Olympic title and I am hoping to be fit by the time we go for trials,”

Kenya’s David Rudisha (C) leads the field in the men’s 800m heats at the Rio Olympics on August 12, 2016

“I will look at how my body feels and responds then decide whether I will go for it or not. At the moment, it is still early days,” he stated.

Rudisha has hada tough last few years and on top of suffering a stress fracture that kept him out since 2017, the middle-distance runner and world record holder has been struggling to rise from the heartbreak of losing his father.

He also survived an accident last year, but has now put behind his dark days to focus on the days ahead.

On top of his efforts to regain fitness for a shot at the Olympics, Rudisha has also been splitting his time to motivate the next generation of athletes and is one of the Team Kenya mentors for the World Under-20 Championships later this year.

Rudisha has also been selected as one of Absa’s brand ambassadors for their ‘Torch of possibilities’ run, a project looking to raise funds for grassroot education.

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Rudisha to make Olympics decision by May

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