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Nairobi, May 7 (IANS)
Over ten Olympic champions will look to make a splash in the IAAF Diamond League race in Doha, Friday.
Of course, many a time the glare of the super stars overshadows the rest of the field. The sparkle shines even brighter when an elite athlete confronts an equivalent powerful opponent.
This was confirmed by World and Olympic 800m champion David Rudisha, when he recently said that he is now a man under watch by his opponents, having lost just twice in three years over the two-lap distance.
“I have to listen to my body and race sparingly. I will race in a few meetings in the run up to the World Championships,” he said.
“Doha Diamond League is a good chance for me to test my form and analyse what needs to be done from a competitive aspect. I will have to correct the mistakes I will have made there,” added Rudisha.
The 800m record holder will lead a galaxy of stars to the event, which marks its fourth show since the event was launched in 2010.
Doha presents a unique race for the 800m legend. At this time of the season, Rudisha is always in his rhythm, having competed in a few races in Australia.
But the Olympic champion has only had one competitive race in Nairobi last Friday. In fact, he stepped down from his favorite 800m distance to the 400m race, where he improved his personal best to 45.15, which is a few seconds better than the time he set in Sydney of 45.50 in 2011.
He has pencilled Doha, New York and Eugene, Oregon, legs of the Diamond League and one more race before he heads to Moscow for the defence of his World Championship title.
“I will know where I rank with my body, shape and opposition in Doha. I have to fight and hopefully, do well,” he said.
The opponents lined against Rudisha include World Indoor Champion Mohammed Aman, the only athlete to have beaten him in the last three years.
There is also Olympic silver and bronze medallists Nijel Amos and Timothy Kitum respectively and Anthony Chemut, the winner of Tokyo race last week.
