Mark English finishes 2nd to David Rudisha in 500m race in Newcastle

In the build up to the Great North Run in Newcastle, the Great North City Games are held on the streets of the city.

In the mens 500m race, Irish intertational athlete Mark English finished in second place to David Rudisha, the 800m Olympic Champion.

See the video below...Mark is in black

Olympic Champion David Rudisha opens 2016 Season with 1:44.78 800m in Australia

The 800m Olympic Champion and World record holder David Rudisha began his 2016 season with a victory at the IAAF World Challenge in Melbourne, Australia. His time was 1:44.78 and his fifth win in Melbourne.

IAAF WORLD CHALLENGE - MELBOURNE
Event 34 Men 800 Metre Open
1 Rudisha, David Ken 1:44.78
2 Mathews, Luke Aus 1:45.16Q
3 Gurr, James Aus 1:46.09

Talk by top athletics coach Br.Colm O'Connell in Eyeries...Fri 25th Sept 2015

Brother Colm O'Connell has been the coach to some of the greatest of the Kenyan athletes including David Rudisha who won Gold in the 800m at the 2012 London Olympics. On Friday the 25th of September, Colm will be giving a talk at the National School in Eyeries in West Cork.

For anyone young or old with an interest in athletics, this is one not to be missed.

From the organisers......Eyeries Running Promotions are delighted to announce the visit of Br.Colm O'Connell to Eyeries to promote our upcoming Eyeries 5 Mile Road Race. Br. Colm is home from Kenya for a few weeks and has agreed to come and give a talk in Eyeries National School on Friday 25th September.

Br.Colm is coach to many Kenyan athletes who have acheived great success for their country around the globe, including the current 800m Olympic and World Champion and Record Holder David Rudisha.

We will also have Ian Kiprono as guest speaker at our event in Eyeries on Friday. Ian is taking over the reigns at Iten from Br.Colm and will have some very interesting insights into training.
Our MC for the evening will be Mike McGrath of Eagle Athletic Club.

Eyeries 5 mile Road Race takes place on Saturday 7th November at 2:30pm and we will be hoping for another successful event this year. We are delighted to be sponsored again by Murphy's SuperValu, Castletownbere and The Edge Sports Superstore Cork. Last years run raised much needed funds for the Eyeries Playground and the fruits of our labours can be seen by all visitors to the village.

Since we started our road race last year, there has been two new races added to the Beara running calendar with the Allihies 5 mile and the Castletownbere 10km with the now famous weekly Bere Island 5km Park Run. We hope this event will add to the growing interest in the area in what promises to be a most stimulating evening with one of Cork's most unassuming sporing luminaries.

This years road race will be raising funds for the proposed extension to the Eyeries Community Development Meeting Rooms. The talk by Br.Colm will be a free event and your donations on the night towards our designated charity will be most welcome.

Follow us on Facebook: Eyeries Five-Mile
and Twitter : @Eyeries5Mile   for more details.

Eyeries Running Promotions

For more background info, it's worth watching The David Rudisha Story which is about 56 minutes long...

100 Seconds to Beat the World: The David Rudisha Story

This is the story of the 800m Olympic champion David Rudisha who is coached by Br.Colm O'Connell from Mallow. It was shown recently on BBC4.

Watch it sooner rather than later as it may disappear off YouTube..

100 Seconds to Beat the World: The David Rudisha Story...BBC4 Tues July 22 10pm

David Rudisha from Kenya is the world record holder at 800m and is the current Olympic champion.

His coach is Brother Colm O'Connell who is originally from Mallow in North Cork. After the Olympics, he visited Mallow with his coach in October of 2012.

The film "100 Seconds to Beat the World: The David Rudisha Story" will be shown on BBC Four on Tuesday, July 22 at 10pm.

More info on the film can be seen on the Irish Examiner website.

Another article on the Independent newspaper website (UK)

Mark English finishes 2nd in prestigious Diamond League race

Mark English from Donegal is currently the best Irish athlete over 800m in the country. In a high profile IAAF Diamond League race in New York last Saturday, Mark finished in second place to none other than the Olympic champions and world record holder David Rudisha.

1 RUDISHA David KEN 1:44.63 SB
2 ENGLISH Mark IRL 1:45.03 SB
3 SOLOMON Duane USA 1:45.13
4 LEWANDOWSKI Marcin POL 1:45.23
5 KSZCZOT Adam POL 1:45.37
6 VÁZQUEZ Wesley PUR 1:45.79
7 CHERUIYOT Ferguson Rotich KEN 1:45.90
8 ANDREWS Robby USA 1:46.28 SB
9 RUTT Michael USA 1:46.33 SB
10 RIMMER Michael GBR 1:46.75 SB

In the race video, Mark is in lane 3 in a bright orange singlet. He is by the way, still only 21 years old.

IAAF interview with Irish Coach Br.Colm O'Connell...

In the London Olympics in 2012, David Rudisha produced one of the best performances of the Games when he ran from the front in the mens 800m to set a new world record and winning Olympic Gold in the process. His coach is Br. Colm O'Connell who is originally from Mallow and moved to Kenya to teach back in the late 70's. Following the Games which marked him out as one of the Worlds finest athletes, David Rudisha along with Br. Colm visited Mallow last October.

In a recent interview with the IAAF, Br. Colm talks about his coaching career and his approach to athletes. Just to give you some idea of what it is like for an elite athlete at this level..........and especially for those of you who are constantly racing! ;o) .........Br. Colm said the following........."This time David had a three-month rest after his last race on 29 August, in Zurich. Three months without any kind of training. He needed this long break for charging his batteries – physically and mentally. When he resumed training, we had to be very careful. You could easily catch an injury. Basic conditioning, easy runs, about 60km a week, some gym work, exercises. Slowly but surely we increased the quality, the weekly mileage remained the same. In March, we started adding the track workouts."

On the subject of whether anyone will break 1:40 for 800m, Br.Colm said..."I don’t think 1:40 or below is going to be possible soon. 1:40 cannot be broken in the next two or three years. It will take time: 1:40.9, 1:40.8, etc."

Back in October, I asked Br.Colm the exact same question when he was in Mallow.......Will 1:40 be ever broken? Br. Colm gave the same answer then....i.e. the record may go in small increments but he did say that it was likely that only one person would set those new records and that would be David Rudisha.

The full interview can be seen HERE

Usain Bolt to make £500,000 in London Anniversary Games...

On the 26th and 27th of July this year, the London Anniversary Games looks like it is going to attract some of the biggest names in world athletics. Amongst those taking part is Usain Bolt who is reported to be making £500,000 tax free for two races. Other big names taking part will be 800m gold medalist David Rudisha, 5000m and 10000m Olympic champion Mo Farah, Heptathlon gold medalist Jessica Ennis and Bolt's training partner and Olympic silver medalist Yohan Blake. It does look however very unlikely that the Blake and Bolt  will race each other.

Bolt is said to have avoided competitions in the Britain in the past as the UK tax laws would have meant that he would liable for endorsement earnings as well. Last February, the Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne granted a one off tax exemption for overseas athletes taking part in the anniversary games so that the best fields could be assembled.

The Anniversary games are expected to attract sell-out 80,000 crowds when tickets go on sale at the end of April for what will be the last athletics event to be held in the Olympic stadium before it is converted into a multi-use, 54,000-seat venue with West Ham FC as the anchor tenant.

More information can be found HERE

800m Olympic champion David Rudisha says his best is yet to come...

In a recent interview, the 800m World record holder and Olympic champion David Rudisha says the world has yet to see him at his best. After winning the Kenyan Sports Personality of the Year, he said..."One would say I have it all…a World title, Olympic title and the world record but I always have something to motivate me". His future plans are to win the World Championships in Moscow in 2013 followed by Beijing in 2015. After that, he said........"From there, I will focus on defending my Olympic title at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro.  I also want to be referred to as double World champion, triple World champion and double Olympic champion”.

In the London Olympics last August, he set a new world record time of 1:40.91 in the 800m without the aid of pacemakers. As to whether he could break it again, he said......"I can start talking about improving that record now before I see how my training goes. Maybe until mid next year or in March is when I will know how my body is responding.”

Rudisha also paid tribute to his coach Colm O’Connel from Cork for nurturing his talent and transforming him to a world beater. “I want to thank the people who have contributed to my success especially my coach brother Colm, who has been with me since I was a youngster in 2004,” said Rudisha.

FIRST...The Official Film of the London 2012 Olympic Games on release from Nov 23rd...

FIRST...The official film of the 2012 London Olympic Games is on release in selected cinemas worldwide on November, the 23rd. It is available on DVD and Blu-Ray from November 26th.

Description.......Granted unprecedented behind the scenes access, director Caroline Rowland highlights the stories and challenges faced by David Rushida-Kenya's gold medal winner in the men's 800m who broke his own record in what was described as the greatest 800m race of all time, the incredible track cyclist Laura Trott-a double gold medallist who is now Britain's most famous cyclist, boxer Katie Taylor - Ireland's only gold medallist at London 2012 who won the Women's Lightweight boxing and US swimmer Missy Franklin - who won an incredible four gold medals at the age of 17.


Featuring: Laura Trott, David Rudisha, Katie Taylor, Missy Franklin, Chad Le Clos, James Ellington, John Orozoco, Qiu Bo, Majlinda Kelmendi, Caroline Buchanan, Bruno Fratus, Heena Sidhu, Christophe Lemaitre and Queen Underwood.

If anyone would like to purchase this video, I have the links up on this page.  Any products bought on the Amazon.co.uk website after clicking on the one of the links there will generate a small commission which helps fund this website. Thanks!

Short list for the 2012 IAAF Athlete of the Year award...

At the start of October, the International Amateur Athletics Federation announced the ten candidates for the 2012 Athlete of the Year......Yohan Blake (JAM), Usain Bolt (JAM), Ashton Eaton (USA), Mohamed Farah (GBR), Robert Harting (GER), Kirani James (GRN), Renaud Lavillenie (FRA), Aries Merritt (USA), David Rudisha (KEN) and Christian Taylor (USA)

After an e-mail poll, the final three finalists have been selected.....

Usain Bolt, Jamaica.......Winner of the Olympic 100m and 200m finals as well as being on the 4 x 100m Jamaican relay team. 
Aries Merritt, USA........Winner of the Olympic 110m hurdles and set a new world record of 12.80 seconds at a competition in Belgium in September. 
David Rudisha, Kenya.......Winner of the Olympic 800m final and set a new world record of 1:40.91 in the process.

The big suprise here is of course the elimination of Britain's Mo Farah who won double Olympic gold in the mens 5,000m and 10,000m.  

Update 10am......The IAAF have just announced the three Female Athletes who are still in contention to become the 2012 World Athlete of the Year:
Valerie Adams, New Zealand.....Originally won the silver medal at the shot put at the 2012 London Olympics but was promoted to the gold medal after the initial Olympic champion, Nadzeya Ostapchuk from Belarus failed two drug tests.
Jessica Ennis, Great Britain.....Winner of the Olympic Heptathlon, one of the hardest events at the Games.
Allyson Felix, USA.....At the 2012 Summer Olympics Felix competed in 4 events: The 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay, and 4x400m relay, placing 5th in the 100m and winning gold in the other three, thus becoming the first American woman to win three golds in athletics at an Olympics since Florence Griffith-Joyner at 1988 Games.

The Council of the International Athletic Foundation will select the male and female winners from the finalists with the announcement taking place during a special ceremony in Barcelona, during the 2012 Centenary Celebrations, on 24 November 2012.

Mallow AC signs up two new members...

Some new members turned up to collect their new Mallow AC singlets last weekend...

Olympic 800m Gold medalist David Rudisha with his coach Br.Colm O'Connell being presented with their new singlets.

Shane Simcox....Mallow AC coach with the 800m World Record holder David Rudisha

Photos courtesy of Steve Murphy of Mallow AC...

David Rudisha visits Mallow in North Cork...

One of the world's greatest athletes stopped off in Mallow this evening with his coach, Brother Colm O'Connell. David Rudisha is the current Olympic and world record holder in the 800 metres, as well as the current World and Olympic Champion at the distance. He holds the three fastest, six of the eight fastest, and half of the twenty fastest times ever for this event.

In a recent interview, the former world record holder, London Olympics 2012 chairman and double Olympic gold medalist Sebastian Coe said that David Rudisha's performance at the Summer Games was "the most extraordinary piece of running I have probably ever seen".

In front of a crowd of about 200 people, Brother O'Connell gave a short speech outlining how he had coached David since he was a small boy and how he watched him grow to be one of the world's best. He spoke about how David was not only an inspiration and role model to young athletes in his native Kenya but internationally as well. He also conferred the title of 'Honourary Mallowman' on David.......although I think David might have to work on the accent a bit ;o)

In his short speech, David Rudisha spoke of how he started off in athletics as a small shy boy. How he was inspired by his father Daniel Rudisha who won a silver medal at the 1968 Mexico Games as part of the Kenyan 4 x 400m relay team. He also mentioned how he had wanted to come to Ireland to visit Br. O'Connells home and family........and looked around at the assembled crowd and remarked that he was suprised that Colm had so many relations ;o)

Also in attendance was Irish Olympic race walker Rob Heffernan with his wife Marian. Rob gave a few words just to emphasise what a talent David Rudisha is and how amazing his performance at the London Olympics was.

800 Metres......Times under 1:42.....All Time
Mark       Athlete       Nation       DOB       Pos       Venue       Date  
1:40.91    David Lekuta Rudisha     KEN    17/12/1988    1    London (OS)    09/08/2012
1:41.01    David Lekuta Rudisha            1r1    Rieti    29/08/2010
1:41.09    David Lekuta Rudisha            1    Berlin    22/08/2010
1:41.11    Wilson Kipketer     DEN    12/12/1972    1    Köln    24/08/1997
1:41.24    Wilson Kipketer            1r1    Zürich    13/08/1997
1:41.33    David Lekuta Rudisha            1r1    Rieti    10/09/2011
1:41.51    David Lekuta Rudisha            1    Heusden-Zolder    10/07/2010
1:41.54    David Lekuta Rudisha            1    Paris Saint-Denis    06/07/2012
1:41.73    Sebastian Coe     GBR    29/09/1956    1    Firenze    10/06/1981
1:41.73    Wilson Kipketer            1    Stockholm    07/07/1997
1:41.73    Nijel Amos     BOT    15/03/1994    2    London (OS)    09/08/2012
1:41.74    David Lekuta Rudisha            1    New York City, NY    09/06/2012
1:41.77    Joaquim Cruz     BRA    12/03/1963    1    Köln    26/08/1984
1:41.83    Wilson Kipketer            1    Rieti    01/09/1996

In a brief chat towards the end of the evening, I asked Brother Colm if he thought the 1:40 barrier would ever be broken? He said possibly one day but not for a long time. It is much more likely that the current record will be broken in very small increments as before. If anyone is going to do it then it is likely to be David again. He also thought that it might be several years before the current record set in London might be broken.

Just to see what a great world record that was, you can see the 800m Olympic race HERE...

Also......back in February of this year, I had a video up called Man on a Mission. It shows the trip that Eamonn Coghlan made to Iten in Kenya to visit Br.Colm O'Connell. Post HERE

I know on many websites and newspaper articles, the word legend and great gets thrown around a lot but in this case, it seems very apt.

Brother Colm O'Connell conferred with honorary Doctorate at DCU...

On Friday the 19th of October, Brother Colm O'Connell was conferred with an honorary Doctorate of Philosophy at Dublin City University. Br. O'Connell is the coach at the now famous Iten training camp in Kenya which has produced some of the world's best athletes. A member of the Patrician missionary order, Brother Colm joined St Patrick’s High School in Iten, Kenya as a geography teacher in 1976. Thirty-six years later, he is still in Iten and is now acknowledged as the world’s most successful coach of endurance running, having nurtured five Olympic Gold medallists and 25 world champions. On hand to witness the event was David Rudisha, world record-holder, winner of the London 2012 800m Gold medal and alumnus of Brother Colm’s world-renowned athletics coaching programme in Kenya’s Rift Valley.

L to R...Fr.Liam Kelleher (Race Director of the Dromina 10 mile road race and editor of the Marathon magazine back in the 80's).....Ian O'Riordan (Athletics journalist with the Irish Times).....Frank Greally (Founder and editor of the Irish Runner magazine).....David Rudisha (winner of the 800m at the London Olympics and current world record holder).....Br.Colm O'Connell (one of the world's most successful coaches)

Accepting his honorary degree, Brother Colm O’Connell said..........“It is a very humbling experience for me to stand here today to receive such an honour. When looking down through the list of honorary graduates who have gone before me in being honoured by this distinguished university, I feel, indeed, very happy. Also, for somebody to be selected from a remote little village in the highlands of Western Kenya and to be recognised in such a manner is beyond my wildest dreams and imaginings.”

Other guests in attendance at the honorary graduation ceremony included Linda Byrne, 2012 Irish Olympian and marathon runner; Senator Eamonn Coghlan; Mr John Foley, Chief Executive of the Athletic Association of Ireland; HE Ms Catherine Muigai Mwangi, Ambassador of the Republic of Kenya; and Mr John Treacy, Irish Sports Council.

RTE have a short report HERE

Br. O'Connell is originally from Doneraile near Mallow in North Cork. He is supposed to be at the GAA complex in Mallow with Olympian David Rudisha at 5:30pm later today.