Athletics always creates lasting memories at the Olympic Games. One of the most beautiful moments occurred 12 years ago on August 9 at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, when Kenyan David Rudisha broke the 800-meter world record with an extraordinary performance of 1:40.91. He was the first man to run the 800 meters under 1:41, and this record remains unbroken to this day.
It was fitting that exactly 12 years later, the two-time Olympic and World Champion would mark the anniversary by contributing to the growing historical treasure of the Museum of World Athletics (MOWA).
“Since 1975, there have only been four world record holders over this distance,” said Sebastian Coe, president of the World Athletics Association. “David is one of them and clearly the fastest of them all. That’s why I’m really grateful that we can honor his achievements in our museum.”
A few hours after Friday’s men’s 800m semi-final at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Rudisha Coe handed over the signed white spikes he wore when he first broke the 800m world record with a time of 1:41.09 in Berlin in 2010.
“I donated my first world record spikes to the museum and that is really special,” he said. “I have kept them safe, most of my family members have never seen them. We treasure them very much because they carry a lot of memories of our time as runners.”
“It really means a lot to me and I’m very honored to donate it here. I believe this will inspire the younger generation and also tell the story of our sport.”
The handover ceremony took place before the evening session of the ninth day of the Paris athletics programme at the Stade de France and Coe thanked Rudisha for his immense contribution to the sport.
“David is quite simply the best 800m runner of all time,” he said on the eve of the men’s 800m final. “And it really doesn’t matter what happens in this stadium tomorrow. In my opinion he will still be the best 800m runner. His performance in London was from start to finish and a world record. It doesn’t get any better than that.”
David Rudisha hands over his 1:41.09 world record spikes for the MOWA to Sebastian Coe (© James Rhodes)
On Sunday afternoon, August 22, 2010, Rudisha, then 21 years old, broke a 13-year-old world record of 1:41.11 previously held by Wilson Kipketer.
Rudisha came to Berlin with the fastest time of the season. He challenged his companion Sammy Tangui to get him through the first lap in under 49 seconds. Tangui managed even faster, with 48.68. When the bell rang, Rudisha went full throttle on the last lap, stopping the clock at 1:41.09. Rudisha excused himself from the press conference to reflect on the race.
“We (Rudisha and Tangui) had a plan and thought, ‘Why can’t we just try something different?'” he said.
“We executed our plan exactly. We finished in 48 seconds and I tried to push on the second lap. It was tough. I was really impressed when I crossed the finish line and said: ‘Wow, 1:41:09’ – that was the world record.”
A week later he beat the world record again, this time at the World Challenge Meeting in Rieti, where he achieved a time of 1:41.01. That same year he won four Diamond League meetings and finished an incredible season with the World Sportsman of the Year award.
Confidence was Rudisha’s armor. He was a man who was not afraid to push boundaries to achieve his goals and dreams. This was the case in Berlin, Rieti and London. He always knew when he would run fast.
Rudisha made his name on the international athletics scene in 2006 when he won the U20 World 800m title. He dominated the 800m during his 11-year career.
Persistent injuries forced him to retire from racing and he last competed in 2017. Since then, he has taken on ambassadorial roles at the World Championships in Budapest and the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow.
“My athletics career has been like a special journey. I’m really happy with my performance because I’ve achieved what every athlete wants to achieve,” he said. “If you talk about the world record, I’ve achieved it three times, twice at the World Championships and twice at the Olympics. That really means a lot to me because those are the highest achievements in athletics.”
Michelle Katami for World Athletics
