David Rudisha, the two-time Olympic champion and world-record holder at 800m, will miss another three months of training after fracturing a left ankle and requiring surgery.
Rudisha was injured walking on uneven ground at his rural Kenya home, according to his manager’s Twitter account. The surgery put a tubular plate and screws into the ankle, according to the tweets.
“Rehabilitation will start as soon as doctors think is fit,” was tweeted from manager Michel Boeting‘s account.
Rudisha, 31, last raced July 4, 2017. Since, he missed time after a quad muscle strain, back problems and, in 2019, his car collided with a bus, causing minor injuries. It’s unknown if he will miss any significant races given the coronavirus pandemic halted top-level track and field meets until at least mid-August.
Rudisha owns the three fastest times in history, including the world record 1:40.91 set in an epic 2012 Olympic final.
In his absence, American Donavan Brazier emerged as the world’s best 800m runner, sweeping the 2019 World and Diamond League titles.
Brazier, 23, can become the first American to win an Olympic 800m since Dave Wottle did so wearing a hat in Munich in 1972.
“I think the target’s on my back just because I won 2019, but it’s definitely not as big of a target as [Rudisha] had on his back post-2012,” Brazier said in February. “I’m not thinking that I’m like this David Rudisha takeover, because I’m not really damn near close to his times, but I think, for now, I’ve got that small target on my back. I guess I’m just trying to make it as big as possible.”
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