Tough challenge for Olympic 800m champ Rudisha in Lausanne

Olympic 800 metres champion David Rudisha of Kenya will get a real feeling of what to expect in the World Athletics Championships in August when he competes in the Lausanne leg of the Diamond League here on Thursday.

It will be the first time in almost two years that Rudisha will come face to face with the pretenders to his throne, who have exploited his injury problems to rule the two-lap race, reports Xinhua.

They are Commonwealth Games champion Nijel Amos of Botswana and Ethiopia's Mohammed Aman.

Lausanne will be the ninth stop in the 14-tier circuit whose winner will take home a Diamond Trophy and $50,000 in each of the 32 race disciplines.

"I have done my training well and ready to take the challenge at the higher stage. Lausanne will provide the challenge, but it is important to run a faster time," said Rudisha on Tuesday.

"I can say 1:43.58 minute in New York was a good start...now I'm building up gradually from there. I have the confidence in my quest to return to the championship in best form and fight for my title."

It will be the 26-year-old's fourth race in the two-lap distance this year after running in Melbourne, Sydney and New York.

Rudisha returned from injury, which he picked up in Ostrava (Czech Republic) in May, to win in New York in a fast time of 1:43.58 minute, which was just 0.02 seconds off the season's world lead time of Mohammad Aman of Ethiopia.

Aman holds the world lead of 1:43.56 minute, which Rudisha failed to beat in New York by 0.02 seconds. However, like Rudisha, Olympic silver medallist Amos will be returning from injury too.

He has since run 1:43.80 minute this season. There will also be European champion Marcin Lewandowski from Poland. Other Kenyans in Lausanne will be Ferguson Rotich, Job Kinyor and Alfred Kipketer.