David Rudisha won his second 800m Olympic title in a row on Monday by swerving into the lead just after the first lap and using his long strides to kick for home.
Rudisha wins the 800m final but fails to break his own world record (Photo: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
The world-record holder surged across the line to retain his crown, giving no one else a chance and becoming the first man in more than half a century to win back-to-back titles over two laps at the Summer Games.
The fastest men in the world: Rio 2016 features three world record holders in athletics
Rudisha won in 1:42.15 from Algeria’s Taoufik Makhloufi, who ran a national record time of 1:42.61 to add an 800m silver to the gold he won in the 1500m at London 2012. Clayton Murphy of the USA powered through in the final 50m for bronze and a PB of 1:42.93, overhauling France’s Pierre-Ambroise Bosse to make the podium.
Rudisha smiled at the end, a broad, beaming smile, relieved maybe after a trying season where he lost a couple of times in the Diamond League and was beaten into third at the Kenyan trials. He freely offered up hugs to the other medallists, too, as he draped the red, black and green Kenyan flag across his shoulders once again.
RIO2016.com
