Kenyan double Olympic gold medalist David Rudisha survives plane crash
By Bethlehem Feleke, CNN
Kenyan runner David Rudisha, a two-time Olympic 800m gold medalist, survived a plane crash in Kenya on Saturday, according to a statement from the non-profit conservation organization Big Life Foundation.
Rudisha and five others were leaving an event known as the Masai Olympics in Kimana, Kenya when the small airplane they were on was forced to make an emergency landing shortly after take-off, according to Big Life, which was one of the organizers of the event.
Big Life confirmed to CNN on Tuesday that Rudisha and the other passengers were fine, with the former gold medal winner having “suffered no significant physical injuries.”
“It happened very fast,” two-time 800m world champion Rudisha told CNN. “We’re lucky we survived. There were just a few injuries, but most of us came out without any major injuries.”
CNN has reached out to the Kenyan Civil Aviation Authority which is investigating the crash.
Rudisha won the 800m Olympic title at London 2012 in sensational fashion, beating his nearest competitor by almost a second and setting the current world record of 1:40.91 — the only time in history someone has run the distance below 1:41. He defended his crown four years later in Rio to become only the fourth man in history to win two 800m Olympic golds.
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