Two-time Olympic champion and 800-meter world record holder David Rudisha is hailed for his achievements on and off the track.
The athlete has, however, escaped death by a whisker after surviving two near-fatal accidents in the past three years.
The recent accident happened when the world 800m record holder was traveling to Nairobi with his colleagues, including Kenya Masters Athletics chairman Stephen Ole Marai, from Kimana Wildlife Sanctuary when their light aircraft crashed-landed in Amboseli’s Imbirikana area.
David Rudisha, who is one of the most celebrated athletes in Kenya, was on his way to Nairobi on Saturday, December 10, after attending the annual Maasai Olympics event at Kimana wildlife Sanctuary where he was the guest of honor.
“It was a scary episode where you hold your heart in your hand as you pray to God. The pilot did an incredible job to keep the plane afloat and stable for long,” Rudisha told Nation.
The athlete gave an account of the event, narrating how the engine developed mechanical failure shortly after the plane took off. This prompted the pilot to navigate the aircraft above the trees.
“It was about seven or eight minutes into the flight when the plane’s engine suddenly went quiet,” Rudisha explained.
Minutes later, the plane began to spin out of control after one of the wings hit a tree, forcing the pilot to crash-land the plane on a rocky field.
“He saw some clear space where he tried to land the plane, but one of its wings hit a tree as the plane started to spin before landing on the rocky field,” Stated Rudisha.
Rudisha had another brush with death, on August 24, 2019, when his SUV crashed into a bus at Kegogi area, along the Keroka-Sotik road.
The coalition occurred while he was driving to his hometown of Kilgoris in Western Kenya after losing control due to a tyre burst.
Keroka police chief Walter Abondo confirmed that Rudisha had been rushed to hospital and did not sustain any injuries.
“He was rushed to Keroka Sub County Hospital, where doctors determined that the athlete had not suffered any fractures and that he could return home to rest,” Walter Apondo Stated.
Rudisha had decided not to compete in the world championships while recovering from quad and back injuries prior to the car accident.
According to his manager, Rudisha would miss the championships as he would not have been ready for the trials.
“He will not return from injury in time for Kenya’s world championships trials, which means he will miss worlds in Doha in one month too,” his manager stated.
Source: kENYANS.CO.KE