The world record holder set the fastest qualifying time of 1min 46.89sec and was left happy with his outing.
"Today was all about qualifying for the second round tomorrow," said Rudisha, whose staggering 800m run in just shy of 101 seconds was the stand-out performance on the track at the 2012 London Olympics.
"I tried to reserve as much energy as possible," he said, adding: "I'm very happy to be here. I only started training in March. It's been a tough year and I know I'm going to struggle, but my focus is next year.
Earlier on the track, the men's 110m hurdles was blown wide open when England's defending champion Andy Turner pulled up and Jamaica's Olympic bronze medallist Hansle Parchment was a non-starter.
Turner was off-kilter out of the blocks, clipped the first two hurdles and pulled up before stumbling into the third to bring a premature, and angry, end to his Games' participation.
"I got too close to the first hurdle and hit the second one and that was it," said Turner, also a world bronze medallist from Daegu in 2011. "It was a schoolboy error. I'm gutted as I have been training well coming into the Games."
Canada's Damian Warner remained atop the decathlon as teammate and world silver medallist Brianne Thiesen-Eaton kicked off the heptathlon as massive favourite.
Warner, with an overnight score of 4378 points, raced the 110m hurdles in an impressive 13.50 seconds and managed a season's best of 41.31m in the discus to sit on 6109pts with just the pole vault, javelin and 1500m to come.
You’ve reached your limit of {{free_limit}} free articles this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
Already subscribed? Log in
Subscribe to read the full story →
Smart Quarterly
₹900
3 Months
₹300/Month
Smart Essential
₹2,700
1 Year
₹225/Month
Super Saver
₹3,900
2 Years
₹162/Month
Renews automatically, cancel anytime
Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans
Exclusive premium stories online
Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors


Complimentary Access to The New York Times
News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic
Business Standard Epaper
Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share


Curated Newsletters
Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox
Market Analysis & Investment Insights
In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor


Archives
Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997
Ad-free Reading
Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements


Seamless Access Across All Devices
Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app
