- RIETI, Italy: Returning to the site of his world record, recently crowned world champion David Rudisha clocked the fastest 800 meters of the year Saturday at the Rieti Grand Prix.
The Kenyan timed 1 minute, 41.33 seconds for the two-lap race, improving on the 1:42.61 he ran in Monaco in July but failing to beat his world mark of 1:41.01 set last year.
Rudisha cruised to victory at the worlds in Daegu, South Korea, last month in 1:43.91.
He has always performed well in Rieti, setting a then-African record of 1:42.01 in 2009.
Eight world records have been set at the Raul Guidobaldi stadium over the years, and while there were none Saturday, there was also a season’s best in the 1,500 as Asbel Kiprop, another Kenyan world champion, ran 3:30.46.