Rudisha starts 2010 as he finished 2009 in blistering form

David Rudisha closed 2009 with something special at Rieti which put him behind only Wilson Kipketer, Sebastian Coe and Joaquim Cruz on the all-time performers’ list and he started 2010 in the same great form.

The IAAF World Challenge 2010 kicked of at the Melbourne Track Classic last Thursday, and he produced something special again. His prediction of 1:43 wasn't just talk as he ran 1:43.15.

He also promised there was more to come, specifically, into the territory now occupied only by Messrs Kipketer, Coe and Cruz. Only Coe is officially a Lord, but these men are the aristocracy of the 800.Rudisha needs only to find another 0.02 to join the club. “That is what I’m expecting,” he said after his race, “I want to run my personal best.”

The ease with which Rudisha tracked fellow-Kenyan Sammy Tangui through a first lap of precisely 50.00 suggests that a 1:41 is somewhere in the near future. For the moment, Rudisha picked up the Australian all-comers’ record, his time taking 0.82 from the mark set by David Lelei at this meeting in 2000. I'm off to the bookies now...