With a regal smile, Wilson Kipketer anointed new 800m world record holder David Rudisha as his successor here on Friday, on the eve of the inaugural IAAF Continental Cup.
“It’s just the beginning,” said Kenyan-born Kipketer, who was crowned world champion in 1995, 1997 and 1999 while running in Denmark’s colours.
“He still has a very long road ahead of him. And the person that beats his record may not even have been born yet.”
Kipketer was born into the Kalenjin tribe, like many of Kenya’s greatest runners, but the technically impeccable Rudisha is a Maasai, whose father Daniel won Olympic silver in the 4x400m relay at the Mexico Games in 1968.
Rudisha recently broke the world record twice in the space of seven days, first bettering Kipketer’s 13-year-old mark of one minute 41.11 seconds with a 1:41.09 run in Berlin, Germany, and then setting a time of 1:41.01 in Rieti, Italy.
His exploits have left Kipketer in no doubt that the 21-year-old Rudisha will one day break the 100-second barrier for two laps of the track.
“I was at 46 seconds for the 400m, David isn’t far from 45 seconds,” Kipketer told AFP.
“With his style of front-running, that’s about right. I’ve not seen him run live, but he has a different style to mine.
Back in Africa
“I used to start more slowly and come on strong at the end, which sometimes made it hard to over-take people.” He added: “It’s good that the record is back in Africa.”
Father Colm O’Connell, the Irishman who taught both Kipketer and Rudisha at the renowned St Patrick’s High School in Iten, shares the same sentiments.
He also believes that, beyond his record-setting, Rudisha could go on to become an icon of Kenyan athletics.
Affable and comfortable speaking in English, the new shining light of the 800m is also distinct from his compatriots in his willingness to discuss off-track matters.
“And he’s intelligent too,” says Kipketer, touching his temple with his finger. “You need that for discipline.
“It’s a difficult event to interpret, because you’re at a crossroads between speed and endurance. You have to find a rhythm, a balance.”
Rudisha’s admiration for Kipketer is apparent from the reverence with which he listens to him.
The younger man now hopes to meet another of his heroes, Lord Sebastien Coe, the former 800m star and current president of the organising committee for the 2012 Olympics in London.
The mention of Lord Sebastien sends Kipketer into historian mode. He says: “I was nine years old when Coe broke the world record in Florence in 1981, the first under 1min 42sec.
“David was about the same age, give or take a few months, when I equalled and then bettered Coe’s record.”
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