DOHA, Qatar (AP) — World and Olympic champion David Rudisha cruised to victory in the 800 meters at the season-opening Diamond League meet in Doha on Friday.
The Kenyan’s time of 1 minute, 43.87 seconds was significantly slower than the 1:40.91 he ran to break the world record at the 2012 London Olympics.
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After the pacemaker retired midway through the race, Rudisha surged to the front and was never threatened. He beat Mohammed Aman by more than a half second, avenging a loss to the Ethiopian at a Diamond League event in Zurich last year.
“I feel good. I was relaxing today,” Rudisha said. “It was the beginning of the season and it was first race, so there was no pressure. (Aman) defeated me in the last race of the season, and it was good to do something at least in the beginning of the season to give me more confidence.”
Two Americans broke meet records in the first of the 14-leg championship. Olympic women’s long jump champion Britney Reese leapt 7.25 meters, and Ryan Whiting threw 22.28 meters in a men’s shot put event in which Olympic gold medalist Tomasz Majewski finished sixth.
Two-time Olympic 100 champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce led Sherone Simpson in a 1-2 Jamaican finish in the 200, a race she is expected to compete in at the world championships in Moscow. Fraser-Pryce was runner-up over the distance in London.
“Overall, I’m just happy to come away with a win,” Fraser-Pryce said. “Today I didn’t run according to how I wanted but still came out with a victory. That made me happy. There is a lot more room for improvement in the 200, and I’m looking forward to more races to see how best I can put a complete race together.”
