courtesy runnersworld.com
David Rudisha, the Kenyan 800m champion will not be participating in this Olympic Games in Tokyo after a series of injuries in the past four years before his gold in Rio Olympics. He has not participated in any international competition due to these setbacks.
🇰🇪 David Rudisha will not race at @Tokyo2020.
According to his agent, the two-time defending 800m Olympic champion will not be chasing a third straight gold medal this summer.@rudishadavid | @WorldAthleticshttps://t.co/4gt7bX6Gm2
— Olympics (@Olympics) May 20, 2021
He had also won the 2012 gold medal and in 2016 as well. He was the first 800m champion after New Zealand’s Peter Snell since 1964. He also won the 2015 World Championship after an injury in his right knee that he came to know about in 2013 when he was running in New York’s Central Park.
He suffered from a quad muscle strain, back problems, a car crash, and surgery for a broken ankle and lastly ran internationally on July 4, 2017.
In his absence, American Donovan Brazier won the 2019 World title and he is the favorite to win the 2020 Olympics gold medal in the 800m category as well. He might become the first American to win an Olympic 800m since Dave Wottle in 1972. He said that he has a target on his back since he won the World title in 2019 and he wants to make it as big as possible.