Kenya's David Rudisha lit up the Olympic Games last night with a sensational victory in the 800 metres, breaking his own world record in the process.
Rudisha made the most of ideal conditions, storming through the first lap in 49.28 seconds and powering to the gold medal in 1min 40.91sec. That took exactly one tenth of a second off his previous record as all eight finalists set a season's best, personal best or national record.
Teenager Nijel Amos, of Botswana, claimed silver in a national record of 1:41.73, ahead of Kenya's Timothy Kitum, with Team GB's Andrew Osagie taking 0.71sec off his personal best despite finishing eighth.
Amazingly, Osagie's time would have won gold at the last three Olympic Games, while it also took him fourth on the British all-time list behind Seb Coe, Steve Cram and Peter Elliott.
Coe's world record of 1:41.73, the exact time run by 18-year-old silver medallist Amos last night, stood for 16 years before it was first equalled and then broken by Denmark's Wilson Kipketer, while Rudisha then broke it twice in seven days in 2010.
Osagie, who has now improved his personal best seven times this season, said: "Oh wow, that was some race to be a part of. I would love to have been watching from the sidelines. I think an athlete like David Rudisha deserves so much respect, even though you're trying to beat him.
"I am so happy I got to be a part of the Olympics this year. It was such a big achievement for me. To run a personal best in the final is unbelievable. I think at any major championships I would have got a medal with that time. My aim this Games was to run 1:44 flat in the final and hopefully that was going to be enough to be up there. Unfortunately, I've run a little bit quicker and finished right at the back of the field.
"Going into this season my PB was 1:45:3 and I've now run 1:43.7. It's a big jump if you look at it like that, but I've always been there or thereabouts, working my way up this season."
Coe paid tribute to Rudisha, saying: "That was simply an unbelievable performance. David Rudisha showed supreme physical and mental confidence to run like that in an Olympic final.
"Instead of just doing enough to win the race he wanted to do something extraordinary and go for the world record as well.
"Rudisha's run will go down in history as one of the greatest Olympic victories. I feel privileged to have witnessed it in London."
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