NAIROBI, (Reuters) – Kenya’s Olympic 800m champion and world record-holder David Rudisha has withdrawn from next month’s World Championships in Moscow, his management team said yesterday.
Rudisha’s participation had been in doubt because of a slow-healing knee injury sustained while running in New York’s Central Park.
“It is just not possible for David to effectively defend his world title in Moscow, so we announced this morning his withdrawal,” his coach, Colm O’Connell, told Reuters yesterday.
Speaking from Iten, some 400km north-west of Nairobi, the Irishman said Rudisha’s manager James Templeton had informed Athletics Kenya and the IAAF of the decision.
“He is improving, but the time factor is essential and a matter of concern to us. It’s only one month to the worlds and we don’t want to push and make it difficult for him and risk a recurrence of the injury,” said O’connell.
